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00022245492 

HELD  FAST  FOR  ENGLAND 

A   TALE   OF   THE    SIEGE   OF   GIBRALTAR 
(1779-83) 


BY 


G.   A.    HENTY 

Author  of  "  The  Dash  for  Khartoum;  "   "  Redskin  and  Cow-Boy;  "   "  With  Lee  in 

Viiginia;  "  "  Bonnie  Prince  Charlie;  "   "  In  the  Reign  of  Terror;  " 

"  By  Right  of  Conquest;  "  &c. 


ILLUSTRATED  BY  GORDON  BROWNE 


NEW   YORK 

CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 

1891 


COPYRIGHT,  1891, 
BY   CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS. 


PREFACE 


My  dear  Lads, 

The  Siege  of  Gibraltar  stands  almost  alone  in  the 
annals  of  warfare,  alike  in  its  duration  and  in  the  immense 
preparations  made  by  the  united  powers  of  France  and 
Spain  for  the  capture  of  the  fortress.  A  greater  number  of 
guns  were  employed  than  in  any  operation  up  to  that  time  ; 
although  in  number,  and  still  more  in  calibre,  the  artillery 
then  used  have  in  modern  times  been  thrown  into  the  shade 
in  the  sieges  of  Sebastopol  and  Paris.  Gibraltar  differs, 
however,  from  these  sieges,  inasmuch  as  the  defence  was  a 
successful  one,  and  indeed  at  no  period  of  the  investment 
was  the  fortress  in  any  danger  of  capture  save  by  hunger. 
At  that  period  England  was  not,  as  she  afterwards  became, 
invincible  by  sea ;  and  as  we  were  engaged  at  the  same  time 
in  war  with  France,  Spain,  Holland,  and  the  United  States, 
it  was  only  occasionally  that  a  fleet  could  be  spared  to  bring 
succour  and  provisions  to  the  beleaguered  garrison.  Scurvy 
was  the  direst  enemy  of  the  defenders.  The  art  of  pre- 
serving meat  in  tins  had  not  been  discovered,  and  they 
were  forced  to  subsist  almost  entirely  upon  salt  meat ;  dur- 
C*-  ing  the  first  year  of  the  siege  the  supply  of  fresh  vegetables 
j  was  scanty  in  the  extreme,  and  the  garrison  consequently 
^  suffered  so  severely  from  scurvy  that  at  one  time  scarcely 
"7,  half  of  the   men   of  the    garrison  were   strong   enough    to 


6  PREFACE. 

carry  a  firelock  and  perform  their  duty.  The  providential 
capture  of  a  vessel  laden  with  oranges  and  lemons  checked 
the  ravages  of  the  scourge,  and  the  successful  efforts  of  the 
garrison  to  raise  vegetables  prevented  it  from  ever  after- 
wards getting  a  firm  hold  upon  them.  In  such  a  siege 
there  was  but  little  scope  for  deeds  of  individual  gallantry. 
It  was  a  long  monotony  of  hardship  and  suffering,  nobly 
endured,  and  terminating  in  one  of  the  greatest  triumphs 
ever  recorded  in  the  long  roll  of  British  victories. 

Yours  sincerely, 

G.  A.  HENTY. 


CONTENTS. 


Chap.  Page 

I.  "  Something  like  an  Adventure," 1 1 

II.  A  Great  Change, 32 

III.  An  Unexpected  Journey, 52 

IV.  Preparations  for  a  Voyage, 72 

V.  A  French  Privateer, 92 

VI.  The  Rock  Fortress, 112 

VII.  Troubles  Ahead, 131 

VIII.  The  Siege  Begins, 150 

IX.  The  "Antelope," 170 

X.  A  Cruise  in  a  Privateer, 1S9 

XL  Cutting  out  a  Prize, 20S 

XII.  A  Rich  Prize, 229 

XIII.  Oranges  and  Lemons, 24S 

XIV.  A  Welcome  Cargo, 26S 

XV.  Bob's  Mission, 2S9 

XVI.  A  Cruise  in  the  "Brilliant,"   . 316 

XVII.  The  Floating  Batteries, 335 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Page 

Bob  receives  a  Commission  from  the  Governor,    .    Frontis.  2S1 

Bob  and  his  Companions  surprise  the  Burglars 25 

The  Professor  gets  excited, 153 

"The  old  gentleman  is  a  brick,"  exclaimed  Gerald,     .     .182 

Bob  swims  off  to  the  Spanish  Warship, 200 

"They  found  the  two  Spanish  Mates  playing  at  cards,"  .  217 
They  find  Boxes  of  Silver  in  the  Lazaretto, 230 

View  of  Gibraltar  from  the  Mediterranean 115 

View  of  Gibraltar  from  the  Bay, 115 

The  Rock  and  Bay  of  Gibraltar, 306 


HELD  FAST  FOR  ENGLAND. 


CHAPTER    I. 


SOMETHING    LIKE    AN    ADVENTURE. 


AD  Mr.  Tulloch,  the  head-master  and  proprietor 
of  a  large  school  at  Putney,  been  asked  which 
was  the  most  troublesome  boy  in  his  school,  he 
would  probably  have  replied,  without  hesitation, 
"  Bob  Repton ;  "  but,  being  a  just  and  fair-minded  man,  he 
would  have  hastened  to  qualify  this  remark  by  adding, 
"  Most  troublesome,  but  by  no  means  the  worst  boy ;  you 
must  understand  that.  He  is  always  in  scrapes,  always  in 
mischief.  In  all  my  experience  I  have  never  before  come 
across  a  boy  who  had  such  an  aptitude  for  getting  into  trouble  ; 
but  I  have  nothing  else  to  say  against  him.  He  is  straight- 
forward and  manly.  I  have  never  known  him  to  tell  a  lie 
to  screen  himself.  He  is  an  example  to  many  others  in  that 
way.  I  like  the  boy  in  spite  of  the  endless  trouble  he  gives, 
and  yet  there  is  scarcely  a  day  passes  that  I  am  not  obliged 
to  cane  him,  and  even  that  does  him  no  good  as  far  as  I  can 
see,  for  he  seems  to  forget  it  five  minutes  after  it  is  over.  I 
wonder  sometimes  if  he  has  really  got  hardened  and  doesn't 
feel  it.  He  is  sharp,  and  does  his  lessons  well ;  I  have  no 
difficulty  with  him  on  that  score,  but  he  is  a  perfect  imp  of 
mischief." 

With  such  characteristics  it  need  hardly  be  said  that  Bob 
Repton  was  one  of  the  most  popular  boys  at  Tulloch's  school. 


12  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

School-life  was  in  those  days  (for  it  was  in  August,  1778, 
that  Bob  was  at  Tulloch's)  a  very  different  thing  to  what  it 
is  at  present.  Learning  was  thrashed  into  boys.  It  was 
supposed  that  it  could  only  be  instilled  in  this  manner ;  and 
although  some  masters  were  of  course  more  tyrannical  and 
brutal  than  others,  the  cane  was  everywhere  in  use,  and 
that  frequently.  Lads  then  had  far  less  liberty  and  fewer 
sports  than  at  present ;  but  as  boys'  spirits  cannot  be  alto- 
gether suppressed  even  by  the  use  of  the  cane,  they  found 
vent  in  other  ways,  and  there  was  much  more  mischief  and 
more  breaking  out  of  bound;  than  now  take  place.  Boys 
were  less  trusted  and  more  harshly  treated  ;  in  consequence 
of  which  there  was  a  kind  of  warfare  between  the  masters 
and  the  boys,  in  which  the  masters,  in  spite  of  their  canes, 
did  not  always  get  the  best  of  it. 

Bob  Repton  was  nearly  fifteen.  He  was  short  rather  than 
tall  for  his  age,  but  squarely  built  and  strong.  His  hair 
could  never  be  got  to  lie  down,  but  bristled  aggressively 
over  his  head.  His  nose  was  inclined  to  turn  up,  his  gray 
eyes  had  a  merry  mischievous  expression,  and  his  lips  were 
generally  parted  in  a  smile.  A  casual  observer  would  have 
said  that  he  was  a  happy-go-lucky,  merry,  impudent-looking 
lad  ;  but  he  was  more  than  this.  He  was  shrewd,  intelli- 
gent, and  exceptionally  plucky,  always  ready  to  do  a  good 
turn  to  others,  and  to  take  more  than  his  fair  share  of  blame 
for  every  scrape  he  got  into.  He  had  fought  many  battles, 
and  that  with  boys  older  than  himself,  but  he  had  never 
been  beaten. 

The  opinion  generally  among  the  boys  was  that  he  did 
not  feel  pain,  and,  being  caned  so  frequently,  such  punish- 
ment as  he  got  in  a  fight  was  a  mere  trifle  to  him.  He 
was  a  thorn  in  the  side  of  Mr.  Purfleet,  the  usher  who 
was  generally  in  charge  of  the  playground,  who  had  learned 
by  long  experience  that  whenever  Bob  Repton  was  quiet  he 
was  certain  to  be  planning  some  special  piece  of  mischief. 

The  usher  was  sitting  now  on  a  bench  with  a  book  in  his 


"something  like  an  adventure."  13 

hand,  but  his  attention  was  at  present  directed  to  a  group  of 
four  boys  who  had  drawn  together  in  a  corner  of  the  play- 
ground. 

"There  is  Repton  again,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  I  wonder 
what  he  is  plotting  now.  That  boy  will  be  the  death  of 
me.  1  am  quite  sure  it  was  he  who  put  that  eel  in  my  bed 
last  week,  though  of  course  1  could  not  prove  it." 

Mr.  Purfleet  prided  himself  on  his  nerve.  He  had  been 
telling  the  boys  some  stories  he  had  read  of  snakes  in  India, 
among  them,  one  of  an  officer  who,  when  seated  at  table,  had 
felt  a  snake  winding  itself  round  his  leg,  and  who  sat  for 
several  minutes  without  moving,  until  some  friends  brought 
a  saucer  of  milk  and  placed  it  near,  when  the  snake  un- 
curled itself  and  went  to  drink. 

"It  must  have  required  a  lot  of  nerve,  Mr.  Purfleet,"  Bob 
Repton  had  said,  "to  sit  as  quiet  as  that." 

"Not  at  all,  not  at  all,"  the  usher  replied  confidently;  "it 
was  the  natural  thing  to  do.  A  man  should  always  be  calm 
in  case  of  sudden  danger,  Bob.  The  first  thought  in  his 
mind  should  be,  '  What  is  this?  '  the  second,  '  What  had  best 
be  done  under  the  circumstances?'  and  these  two  things 
being  decided,  a  man  of  courage  will  deal  coolly  with  the 
danger.    I  should  despise  myself  if  I  were  to  act  otherwise." 

It  was  two  nights  later  that  the  usher,  having  walked 
down  between  the  two  rows  of  beds  in  the  dormitory,  and 
seeing  that  all  the  boys  were  quiet  and  apparently  asleep, 
proceeded  to  his  own  bed,  which  was  at  the  end  of  the  room 
and  partly  screened  off  from  the  rest  by  a  curtain.  No 
sooner  did  he  disappear  behind  this  than  half  a  dozen  heads 
were  raised.  An  oiblamp  burned  at  the  end  of  the  room, 
affording  light  for  the  usher  to  undress,  and  enabling  him, 
as  he  lay  in  bed,  to  command  a  general  if  somewhat  faint 
view  of  the  dormitory.  Five  minutes  after  Mr.  Purfleet  had 
disappeared  behind  the  curtain,  the  watching  eyes  saw  the 
clothes  at  the  end  of  the  bed  pulled  down,  and  caught  a 
partial  view  of  Mr.  Purfleet  as  he  climbed   in.     A  second 


14  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

later  there  was  a  yell  of  terror,  and  the  usher  leapt  from  the 
bed.      Instantly  the  dormitory  was  in  an  uproar. 

"What  is  it,  Mr.  Purfleet,— what  is  the  matter,  sir?  "  and 
several  of  the  boys  sprang  from  their  beds  and  ran  towards 
him,  the  only  exceptions  to  the  general  excitement  being 
the  four  or  five  who  were  in  the  secret.  These  lay  shaking 
with  suppressed  laughter,  with  the  bed-clothes  or  the  corner 
of  a  pillow  thrust  into  their  mouths  to  prevent  them  from 
breaking  out  into  screams  of  delight. 

"What  is  it,  sir?" 

It  was  some  time  before  the  usher  could  recover  himself 
sufficiently  to  explain. 

"There  is  a  snake  in  my  bed,"  he  said. 

"A  snake!"  the  boys  repeated  in  astonishment,  several 
of  the  more  timid  at  once  making  off  to  their  beds. 

"Certainly,  a  snake,"  Mr.  Purfleet  panted.  "I  put  my 
legs  down,  and  they  came  against  something  cold,  and  it 
began  to  twist  about.  In  a  moment,  if  I  had  not  leapt  out, 
I  should  no  doubt  have  received  a  fatal  wound." 

"Where  did  it  come  from?  what  is  to  be  done?"  and  a 
variety  of  other  questions  burst  from  the  boys. 

"  I  will  run  down  and  get  three  or  four  hockey  sticks,  Mr. 
Purfleet,"  one  of  the  elder  boys  said. 

"That  will  be  the  best  plan,  Mason.  Quick,  quick  ! 
There,  do  you  see  it  moving  under  the  clothes?  " 

There  was  certainly  something  wriggling,  so  there  was  a 
general  movement  back  from  the  bed. 

"We  had  better  hold  the  clothes  down,  Mr.  Purfleet," 
Bob  Repton  said,  pushing  himself  forward.  "If  it  were  to 
crawl  out  at  the  top  and  get  on  to  the  floor  it  might  bite  a 
dozen  of  us.  I  will  hold  the  clothes  down  tight  on  one 
side  if  someone  will  hold  them  on  the  other." 

One  of  the  other  boys  came  forward,  and  the  clothes  were 
stretched  tightly  across  the  bed  by  the  pillow.  In  a  minute 
or  two  Mason  ran  up  with  four  hockey  sticks. 

"Now,  you  must  be  careful,"  Mr.  Purfleet  said,  "because 


"  SOMETHING    LIKE    AN    ADVENTURE."  15 

if  it  should  get  out  the  consequences  might  be  terrible. 
Now,  then,  four  of  you  take  the  sticks,  and  all  hit  together 
as  hard  as  you  can — now." 

The  sticks  descended  together;  there  was  a  violent  writh- 
ing and  contortion  beneath  the  clothes,  but  the  blows  rained 
down  fast,  and  in  a  very  short  time  all  movement  ceased. 

"  It  must  be  dead  now,"  Bob  Repton  said.  "I  think  we 
can  look  at  it  now,  sir." 

"Well,  draw  the  clothes  down  very  gently,  boys,  and  be 
ready  to  strike  again  if  you  see  the  least  movement." 

The  clothes  were  drawn  down  till  the  creature  was 
visible. 

"It  must  be  a  cobra,"  the  usher  said,  looking  at  it  from 
a  distance.  "It  is  thick  and  short;  it  must  have  escaped 
from  somewhere.     Be  very  careful,  all  of  you." 

Mason  approached  cautiously  to  get  a  nearer  view,  and 
then  exclaimed,  "Why,  sir,  it  is  an  eel!  " 

There  was  a  moment's  silence,  and  then  a  perfect  yell  of 
laughter  from  the  boys.  For  a  moment  the  usher  was  dumb- 
founded; then  he  rallied. 

"  You  will  all  go  to  your  beds  at  once,"  he  said.  "  I  shall 
report  the  matter  to  Mr.  Tulloch  in  the  morning." 

The  boys  retired  laughing  to  their  beds,  but  above  the 
din  the  usher  heard  the  words  in  a  muffled  voice,  "A  man 
should  always  be  calm  in  sudden  danger."  Another  voice, 
equally  disguised,  said:  "Yes,  he  should  first  ask  himself 
'What  is  this?  '  then  '  What  had  best  be  done  under  the  cir- 
cumstances?' "  A  third  voice  then  took  it  up:  "It  follows 
that  a  man  of  courage  will  deal  coolly  with  the  danger." 
Then  there  was  a  chorus  of  half  a  dozen  voices,  "  I  should 
despise  myself  if  I  were  to  act  otherwise." 

"Silence !  "  the  usher  shouted,  rushing  down  the  line  be- 
tween the  beds.     "I  will  thrash  the  first  boy  who  speaks." 
As  Mr.  Purfleet  had  one  of  the  hockey  sticks  in  his  hand, 
the  threat  was  sufficient  to  ensure  silence. 

To  the  relief  of  the  two  or  three  boys  engaged  in  the 


16  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

affair,  Mr.  Purfieet  made  no  report  in  the  morning.  Mr. 
Tulloch  by  no  means  spared  the  cane,  but  he  always  inquired 
before  he  flogged;  and  as  the  usher  felt  sure  that  the  snake 
story  would  be  brought  forward  by  way  of  excuse  for  the 
trick  played  upon  him,  he  thought  it  better  to  drop  it, 
making  a  mental  note,  however,  that  he  would  get  even 
with  Bob  Repton  another  time;  for  he  made  sure  that  he 
was  at  the  bottom  of  the  matter,  especially  as  he  had  been 
one  of  those  who  had  listened  to  the  snake  story. 

Mr.  Purfieet  was  held  in  but  light  respect  by  the  boys. 
He  was  a  pale  young  man,  and  looked  as  if  he  had  been 
poorly  fed  as  a  boy.  He  took  the  junior  classes, -and  the 
belief  was  that  he  knew  nothing  of  Latin. 

Moffat,  who  took  the  upper  classes,  was  much  more 
severe,  and  sent  up  many  more  boys  to  be  caned  than  did 
the  junior  usher;  but  the  boys  did  not  dislike  him.  Caning 
they  considered  their  natural  portion,  and  felt  no  ill-will  on 
that  account,  while  they  knew  that  Mr.  Moffat  was  a  capital 
scholar,  and  though  strict  was  always  scrupulously  just. 
Above  all,  he  was  not  a  sneak.  If  he  reported  them  he 
reported  them  openly,  but  brought  no  accusation  against 
them  behind  their  back;  while  Mr.  Purfieet  was  always 
carrying  tittle-tattle  to  the  head-master.  There  was,  there- 
fore, little  gratitude  towards  him  for  holding  his  tongue  as 
to  the  eel,  for  the  boys  guessed  the  real  reason  of  his  silence, 
and  put  it  down  to  dread  of  ridicule  and  not  to  any  kindli- 
ness of  feeling. 

"  Purfieet  would  give  sixpence  to  know  what  we  are  talk- 
ing about,  Bob,"  one  of  the  group  talking  in  the  corner  of 
the  playground  said. 

"It  is  worth  more  than  that,  Jim;  still  we  shall  have  to 
be  extra  careful.  He  suspects  it  was  our  lot  who  played  him 
the  trick  about  the  eel,  and  he  will  do  his  best  to  catch  us 
out  in  something.  Well,  as  I  was  saying,  Johnny  Gibson 
has  got  a  first-rate  dog  for  rabbits,  and  he  says  there  are 
lots  of  them  up  on  the  Common.     I  told  him  that  I  would 


"something  like  an  adventure."  17 

come,  and  I  expected  two  or  three  more,  and  we  would 
meet  him  at  the  top  of  the  hill  at  four  o'clock  to-morrow 
morning.  It  will  be  getting  light  by  that  time.  Of  course 
we  shall  get  out  in  the  usual  way,  and  we  can  be  back  by 
half-past  six,  and  no  one  will  be  any  the  wiser.  Old 
Thomas  never  comes  down  till  a  quarter  to  seven,  I  have 
heard  him  a  dozen  times;  he  just  comes  down  in  time  to 
ring  the  bell  for  us  to  get  up." 

"Oh,  I  ain't  afraid  of  Thomas,"  one  of  the  others  said; 
"but  I  am  afraid  of  Purfleet." 

"There  need  be  no  fear  about  him.  He  never  wakes  till 
the  bell  rings,  and  sleeps  like  a  top.  Why,  he  didn't  wake  the 
other  morning  when  we  had  a  scrimmage  and  you  tumbled 
out  of  bed.  Besides,  we  all  sleep  at  the  other  end  of  the 
room,  and  even  if  he  did  wake  up  in  the  night  he  wouldn't 
notice  that  we  had  gone,  especially  if  we  shoved  something 
in  the  bed  to  make  a  lump.  My  only  fear  is  that  we  shan't 
wake.  We  ought  to  keep  watch  till  it's  time  to  get  up,  but 
I  am  sure  we  shouldn't  keep  awake.  We  must  all  make  up 
our  minds  to  wake  at  three,  then  one  of  us  will  be  sure  to 
do  it.  And  mind,  if  oue  wakes  he  must  promise  not  to  go 
to  sleep  again  before  he  hears  the  hall  clock  strike,  and 
knows  what  time  it  is.  If  it  is  before  three  he  can  go  off 
to  sleep  again;  that  way  one  of  us  is  sure  to  be  awake 
when  it  strikes  three." 

"I  say,  sha'n't  we  just  be  licked  if  we  are  found  out,  Bob?  " 

"Of  course  we  shall;  but  as  we  get  licked  pretty  well 
every  day  that  won't  make  much  difference,  and  we  shall 
have  had  awful  fun.  Still,  if  any  of  you  fellows  don't  like 
it  don't  you  go.  I  am  going,  but  I  don't  want  to  persuade 
any  of  you." 

"Of  course  we  are  going  if  you  are  going,  Bob.  What 
are  we  going  to  do  with  the  rabbits?  " 

"Oh,  I  settled  Johnny  Gibson  should  keep  them.  He 
is  going  to  bring  his  dog,  you  know;  besides,  what  could 
we  do  with  them?     We  can't  cook  them,  can  we?" 


18  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

As  it  was  clear  to  all  the  party  that  this  could  not  be 
managed,  no  objection  was  raised  to  this  disposal  of  their 
game. 

Bob  Repton  slept  but  little  that  night.  They  went  to 
bed  at  eight,  and  he  heard  every  hour  strike  after  nine, 
dozing  off  occasionally,  and  waking  up  each  time  convinced 
that  the  clock  would  strike  three  next  time.  At  last  he 
heard  the  three  welcome  strokes,  and  at  once  got  up  and 
went  to  the  beds  of  the  other  three  boys.  They  were  all 
sound  asleep,  and  required  some  shaking  before  they  could 
be  convinced  that  it  was  time  to  get  up.  Then  each  boy 
put  his  bolster  in  his  bed,  rolled  up  his  night  shirt  into  a 
ball  and  laid  it  on  the  pillow,  and  then  partly  covered  it  up 
with  the  clothes.  Then  they  slipped  on  their  shirts,  breeches, 
and  stockings,  and,  taking  their  jackets  and  shoes  in  their 
hand,  stole  out  of  the  door  at  their  end  of  the  room  and 
closed  it  behind  them.  They  then  crept  downstairs  to  the 
room  where  their  caps  were  kept,  put  on  these  and  their 
jackets,  and  each  boy  got  a  hockey  stick  out  of  the  cupboard 
in  the  corner  in  which  they  were  kept.  Then  they  very 
cautiously  unfastened  the  shutter,  raised  the  window,  and 
slipped  out.  They  pulled  the  shutter  to  behind  them, 
closed  the  window,  and  then  put  on  their  shoes. 

"That  is  managed  first-rate,"  Bob  said,  "there  wasn't  the 
least  noise.  I  made  sure  Wharton  would  have  dropped  his 
shoes." 

"Why  should  I  drop  them  more  than  anyone  else?" 
Wharton  asked  in  an  aggrieved  voice. 

"  I  don't  know,  Billy.  The  idea  occurred  to  me.  I  didn't 
think  anyone  else  would  do  it,  but  I  quite  made  up  my 
mind  that  you  would." 

"Well,  I  wish  you  wouldn't  be  so  fast  about  making  up 
your  mind,  then,"  Wharton  grumbled.  "  I  ain't  more  clumsy 
than  other  people." 

"You  are  all  right,"  Jim  Sankey  put  in.  "Bob's  only 
joking." 


"  SOMETHING    LIKE    AN   ADVENTURE."  19 

"Well,  he  might  as  well  joke  with  somebody  else,  Jim. 
I  don't  see  any  joke  in  it." 

"No,  that  is  where  the  joke  is,  Billy,"  Bob  said.  "If 
you  did  see  the  joke  there  wouldn't  be  any  joke  in  it. 
Well,  never  mind,  here  is  the  walnut-tree.  Now,  who  will 
get  over  first?  " 

The  walnut-tree  stood  in  the  playground  near  the  wall, 
and  had  often  proved  useful  as  a  ladder  to  boys  at  Tulloch's. 
One  of  its  branches  extended  over  the  wall,  and  from  this 
it  was  easy  to  drop  down  beyond  it.  The  return  was  more 
difficult,  and  was  only  to  be  accomplished  by  means  of  an 
old  ivy  which  grew  against  the  wall  at  some  distance  off. 
By  its  aid  the  wall  could  be  scaled  without  much  difficulty, 
and  there  was  then  the  choice  of  dropping  twelve  feet  into 
the  playground,  or  of  walking  on  the  top  of  the  wall  until 
the  walnut-tree  was  reached.  Tulloch's  stood  some  little 
distance  along  the  Lower  Richmond  Road.  There  were 
but  one  or  two  houses  standing  back  from  the  road  between 
it  and  the  main  road  up  the  hill,  and  there  was  little  fear  of 
anyone  being  abroad  at  that  time  in  the  morning.  There 
was  as  yet  but  a  faint  gleam  of  daylight  in  the  sky,  and  it 
was  dark  in  the  road  up  the  hill,  as  the  trees  growing  in  the 
grounds  of  the  houses  on  either  side  stretched  far  over  it. 

"I  say,"  Jim  Sankey  said,  "won't  it  be  a  go  if  Johnny 
Gibson  isn't  there  after  all?  " 

"He  will  be  up  there  by  four,"  Bob  said  confidently. 
"  He  said  his  father  would  be  going  out  in  his  boat  to  fish 
as  soon  as  it  began  to  be  daylight,  because  the  tide  served 
at  that  hour,  and  that  he  would  start  as  soon  as  his  father 
shoved  off  the  boat.  My  eye,  Jim,  what  is  that  ahead  of 
us?     It  looks  to  me  like  a  coach." 

"  It  is  a  coach  or  a  carriage  or  something  of  that  sort." 

"No,  it  isn't,  it  is  a  light  cart.  What  can  it  be  doing 
here  at  this  hour?     Let  us  walk  the  other  side  of  the  road." 

They  crossed  to  the  left  as  they  got  abreast  of  the  cart. 
A  man  whom  they  had  not  noticed  before  said  sharply : 


20  HELD    FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

"You  are  about  early." 

"Yes,  we  are  off  to  work,"  Bob  replied,  and  they  walked 
steadily  on. 

"He  couldn't  see  what  we  were  like,"  Jim  Sankey  said 
when  they  had  got  a  hundred  yards  further. 

"Not  he,"  Bob  said.  "I  could  not  make  out  his  figure 
at  all,  and  it  is  darker  on  this  side  of  the  road  than  it  is  on 
the  other.     I  say,  you  fellows,  I  think  he  is  up  to  no  good." 

"What  do  you  mean,  Bob?  " 

"Well,  what  should  a  cart  be  standing  on  the  hill  for  at 
this  time  in  the  morning?  That's  Admiral  Langton's,  I 
know;  the  door  is  just  where  the  cart  was  stopping.". 

"Well,  what  has  that  got  to  do  with  it,  Bob?  The  cart 
won't  do  him  any  harm." 

"  No,  but  there  may  be  some  fellows  with  it  who  may  be 
breaking  into  his  house." 

"Do  you  think  so,  Bob?" 

"Well,  it  seems  likely  to  me  it  may  be  his  house  or  one 
of  the  others." 

"Well,  what  are  we  to  do,  Bob?" 

"I  vote  we  see  about  it,  Jim.  We  have  pretty  nearly 
half  an  hour  to  spare  now  before  Johnny  Gibson  will  come 
along.     We  have  got  our  hockey  sticks,  you  know." 

"But  suppose  there  shouldn't  be  any  men  there,  Bob, 
and  we  should  be  caught  in  the  grounds,  they  would  think 
we  were  going  to  steal  something." 

"That  would  be  a  go,"  Bob  said;  "but  there  isn't  likely 
to  be  anyone  about  at  half-past  three,  and  if  there  were  I 
don't  suppose  he  would  be  able  to  catch  us.  But  we  must 
risk  something  anyhow.  It  will  be  a  bit  of  fun,  and  it  will 
be  better  than  waiting  at  the  top  of  the  hill  with  nothing 
to  do  till  Johnny  Gibson  comes." 

They  were  now  past  the  wall  in  front  of  Admiral  Lang- 
ton's,  and  far  out  of  sight  of  the  man  in  the  cart. 

"There  is  some  ivy  on  this  wall,"  Bob  said;  "we  can 
climb  over  it  by  that.     Then  we  will  make  our  way  along 


"something  like  an  adventure."  21 

until  we  can  find  some  place  where  we  can  climb  over  into 
the  admiral's  garden." 

"Perhaps  there  are  some  dogs  about,"  Wharton  objected. 

"Well,  if  there  are  they  are  most  likely  chained  up.  We 
must  risk  something.  Well,  here  goes.  If  you  don't  like 
it,  Wharton,  you  can  stay  behind."  So  saying  he  put  his 
hockey  stick  between  his  teeth,  and  then  proceeded  to 
climb  up  the  wall  by  means  of  the  ivy. 

The  wall  was  but  nine  feet  high,  and  as  soon  as  he  gained 
the  top  Bob  said  : 

"Come  on,  you  fellows.      I  am  going  to  drop  down." 

In  two  minutes  he  was  joined  by  the  other  three. 

"There  is  a  path  just  beyond,"  Bob  said;  "let  us  go  by 
that.  Don't  you  fellows  say  a  word.  As  Wharton  says, 
there  may  be  some  dogs  about." 

Quietly  they  stoje  along  the  path,  which  ran  parallel  to 
the  road,  until  it  turned  off  at  right  angles. 

"  Now,  the  first  tree  that  grows  against  the  wall  we  will 
get  over  by,"  Bob  whispered. 

After  going  twenty  yards  he  stopped.  "This  tree  will 
do." 

"  But  what  are  you  going  to  do  if  there  should  be  some 
men?"  Wharton  asked,  in  a  tone  that  showed  he  objected 
altogether  to  the  proceeding. 

"It  depends  upon  how  many  of  them  there  are,"  Bob 
replied.  "Of  course  the  admiral  has  got  some  men  in  the 
house,  and  they  will  wake  up  and  help  us  if  Ave  give  the 
alarm.  Anyhow,  we  ought  to  be  able  to  be  a  match  for 
two  men  with  these  sticks,  especially  if  we  take  them  by 
surprise.     What  do  you  say,  Jim?" 

"I  should  think  so,"  Jim  replied.  "Anyhow,  if  you  are 
game  to  go  on,  I  am.     What  do  you  say,  Fullarton?" 

"Oh,  I  am  ready,"  Fullarton,  who  was  a  boy  of  few 
words,  replied.  "Only,  if  there  is  anyone,  Bob,  and  we  get 
into  a  row  with  them,  of  course  it  will  all  come  out  about 
us,  and  then  sha'n't  we  get  it  just!  " 


22  HELD    FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

"I  suppose  we  shall,"  Cob  admitted;  "but  I  don't  see  we 
can  help  that.  Well,  we  are  in  for  it  now;  "  and  he  began 
to  climb  the  tree,  and,  working  along  a  limb  which  extended 
over  the  wall,  he  dropped  down  into  the  garden.  The  others 
soon  joined,  Wharton  being  more  afraid  of  staying  behind 
by  himself  than  of  going  with  the  rest. 

"Now,  what  are  we  to  do  next?  " 

"  I  should  say  we  ought  to  find  out  whether  anyone  has 
got  into  the  house,  that  is  the  first  thing.  Then,  if  they 
have,  we  have  got  to  try  to  wake  up  the  people,  and  to 
frighten  the  men  inside.  Have  you  got  some  string  in  your 
pockets?" 

"I  have  got  some."     They  all  had  string. 

"What  do  you  want  string  for,  Bob?  " 

"String  is  always  useful,  Jim.  We  may  want  to  tie  their 
hands.  But  what  I  was  thinking  was,  we  might  fasten  it 
across  the  stairs  or  some  of  the  passages,  and  then  set  up  a 
sudden  shout,  and  they  would  think  the  watchmen  had 
come  and  would  make  a  bolt,  and  when  they  got  to  the 
string  over  they  would  go,  and  then  we  would  drop  on 
them  with  these  hockey  sticks  before  they  could  get  up. 
Well,  come  on.  There  mayn't  be  anyone  here  after  all. 
Now  we  will  go  up  to  the  house  and  creep  round." 

The  house  stood  thirty  or  forty  yards  away,  and,  stepping 
as  noiselessly  as  they  could,  the  boys  crossed  the  lawn  and 
moved  along  the  front.  Suddenly  Tom  Fullarton  caught 
hold  of  Bob's  arm. 

"  Look,  Bob,  there  is  a  light  in  that  room !  Do  you  see — 
through  the  slit  in  the  shutters?  " 

"So  there  is.  Well,  there  is  no  mistake  now,  there  must 
be  some  fellows  belonging  to  that  cart  inside.  That  must 
be  the  drawing-room  or  dining-room,  and  they  would  never 
have  lights  there  at  this  time  of  night.  Now,  let  us  find 
out  where  they  got  in.  This  is  something  like  fun,  it  beats 
rabbit-hunting  all  to  nothing.  Now  mind,  you  fellows,  if  we 
do  come  upon  them  and  there  is  a  fight,  you  remember  the 


SOMETHING    LIKE    AN    ADVENTURE. 


9.R 


best  place  to  hit,  to  begin  with,  is  the  ankle.  You  have  only 
just  got  to  fancy  that  it  is  a  bung,  and  swipe  at  it  with  all 
your  might.  Anyone  you  hit  there  is  sure  to  go  down,  and 
if  he  wants  it  you  can  hit  him  over  the  head  afterwards. 
Now,  come  along,  I  expect  they  got  in  at  the  back  of  the 
house." 

They  soon  came  upon  a  door  at  the  side  of  the  house.  It 
was  open. 

"That  looks  as  if  they  had  been  let  in,"  Bob  whispered. 
"See,  there  is  a  light  in  there  somewhere  !  Come  on.  Now 
let  us  take  our  shoes  off."  The  others  were  thoroughly 
excited  now,  and  followed  Bob  without  hesitation. 

"Bob,  is  the  key  in  the  door?"  Jim  whispered. 

"Yes,  on  the  inside.  They  have  been  let  in.  I  wish  I 
dare  lock  it  and  take  the  key  away.  Let  me  see  if  it 
turns  easy."  Very  gently  he  turned  the  key,  and  found  the 
bolt  shot  noiselessly.  It  had  doubtless  been  carefully  oiled. 
He  turned  it  again,  shut  the  door,  locked  it,  and  put  the 
key  in  his  pocket. 

Then  they  crept  on  tiptoe  along  the  passage.  At  the 
end  were  two  large  chests  strengthened  with  iron  bands.  A 
lighted  lantern  stood  upon  them.  Bob  peered  round  the 
corner  into  the  hall.  No  one  was  to  be  seen,  but  he  heard 
a  noise  through  an  open  door,  from  which  came  a  stream  of 
light.  Motioning  the  others  to  stand  still,  he  crept  forward 
noiselessly  till  he  could  look  into  the  room.  A  man  was 
occupied  in  packing  some  articles  of  massive  plate,  clocks, 
and  other  valuables  into  a  sack.  He  was  alone.  Bob  made 
his  way  back  to  the  others. 

"There's  only  one  fellow  there,"  he  said;  "if  there  are 
any  more  they  are  upstairs.  Let  us  have  this  one  first — his 
back  is  to  the  door.  Now,  Wharton,  you  hold  our  hand- 
kerchiefs and  the  string;  if  he  don't  look  round,  I  will  jump 
on  his  back  and  have  him  down.  The  moment  he  is  down 
you  two  throw  yourselves  on  him,  and  you  shove  the  hand- 
kerchiefs into  his  mouth,  Wharton.    In  the  surprise  he  won't 


24  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

know  that  we  are  only  boys,  and  we  will  tie  his  hands  before 
he  has  time  to  resist.     Now,  come  on." 

They  were  all  plucky  boys,  for  Wharton,  although  less 
morally  courageous  than  the  others,  was  no  coward  phy- 
sically. Their  stockinged  feet  made  no  sound,  and  the  man 
heard  nothing  until  Bob  sprang  on  to  his  back,  the  force 
sending  him  down,  on  to  his  face.  Bob's  arm  was  tightly 
round  his  throat,  and  the  other  two  threw  themselves  upon 
him,  each  seizing  an  arm,  while  Wharton  crammed  two 
handkerchiefs  into  his  mouth.  The  man's  hands  were 
dragged  behind  his  back  as  he  lay  on  his  face,  and  his 
wrists  tied  firmly  together.  He  was  rendered  utterly  help- 
less before  he  had  recovered  from  the  first  shock  of  sur- 
prise. 

"Tie  his  ankles  together  with  the  other  two  handker- 
chiefs," Bob  said,  still  lying  across  him.  "That  is  right. 
You  are  sure  they  are  tight?  There,  he  will  do  now;  I  must 
lock  him  in."  This  was  done.  "  Now,  then,  let's  go  upstairs. 
Now  fasten  this  last  piece  of  string  across  between  the  bani- 
sters six  or  eight  steps  up.  Make  haste,"  he  added,  as  a 
faint  cry  was  heard  above. 

It  did  not  take  a  second  to  fasten  the  string  at  each  end, 
and  then  grasping  their  sticks  the  boys  sprang  upstairs.  On 
gaining  the  landing  they  heard  voices  proceeding  from  a 
room  along  a  corridor,  and  as  they  crept  up  to  it  they  heard 
a  man's  voice  say  angrily :  "Now  we  ain't  going  to  waste 
any  more  time;  if  you  don't  tell  us  where  your  money  is, 
we  will  knock  you  and  the  girl  on  the  head.  No,  you 
can't  talk,  but  you  can  point  out  where  it  is.  We  know 
that  you  have  got  it.  Very  well,  Bill,  hit  that  young 
woman  over  the  head  with  the  butt  of  your  pistol;  don't 
be  afraid  of  hurting  her.  Ah  !  I  thought  you  would  change 
your  mind.  So  it  is  under  the  bed.  Look  under,  Dick. 
What  is  there?  " 

"A  square  box,"  another  voice  said. 

"Well,  haul  it  out." 


"something  like  an  adventure."  25 

"Come  on,"  Bob  Repton  whispered  to  the  others;  "the 
moment  we  are  in,  shout." 

He  stood  for  a  moment  in  the  doorway.  ■  A  man  was 
standing  with  his  back  to  him  holding  a  pistol  in  his  hand; 
another  similarly  armed  stood  by  the  side  of  a  young 
woman,  who,  in  a  loose  dressing-gown,  sat  shrinking  in  an 
arm-chair,  into  which  she  had  evidently  been  thrust;  a  .third 
was  in  the  act  of  crawling  under  the  bed.  An  elderly  man 
in  his  night-shirt  was  standing  up.  A  gag  had  been  thrust 
into  his  mouth,  and  he  was  tightly  bound  by  a  cord  round 
his  waist  to  one  of  the  bed-posts.  Bob  sprang  forward  whirl- 
ing his  hockey  stick  round  his  head,  and  giving  a  loud  shout 
of  "  Down  with  the  villains !  "  the  others  joining  at  the  top 
of  their  voices. 

Before  the  man  had  time  to  turn  round,  Bob's  stick  fell 
with  all  the  boy's  strength  upon  his  ankle,  and  he  went 
down  as  if  he  had  been  shot,  his  pistol  exploding  as  he  fell. 
Bob  raised  his  stick  again,  and  brought  it  down  with  a 
swinging  blow  on  the  robber's  head.  The  others  had  made 
a  rush  together  towards  the  man  standing  by  the  lady. 
Taken  utterly  by  surprise,  he  discharged  his  pistol  at  ran- 
dom and  then  sprang  towards  the  door.  Two  blows  fell 
on  him,  and  Sankey  and  Fullarton  tried  to  grapple  with 
him,  but  he  burst  through  them  and  rushed  out. 

Bob  and  Wharton  sprang  on  the  kneeling  man  before  he 
could  gain  his  feet,  and  rolled  him  over,  throwing  them- 
selves upon  him.  He  was  struggling  furiously,  and  would 
soon  have  shaken  them  off,  when  the  other  boys  sprang  to 
their  assistance. 

"You  help  them,  Jim.  I  will  get  this  cord  off,"  Fullarton 
said,  and  running  to  die  bed  began  to  unknot  the  cord  that 
bound  the  admiral.  The  ruffian  on  the  ground  was  a  very 
powerful  man,  and  the  three  boys  had  the  greatest  difficulty 
in  holding  him  down,  till  Fullarton  slipped  a  noose  round 
one  of  his  ankles,  and  then  jumping  on  the  bed  hauled  upon 
it  with  all  his  strength,  the  admiral  giving  his  assistance. 


26  HELD    FAST   FOR    ENGLAND. 

"Get  off  him,  he  is  safe  !  "  he  shouted;  but  the  others  had 
the  greatest  difficulty  in  shaking  themselves  free  from  the 
man,  who  had  fortunately  laid  his  pistol  on  the  bed  before 
he  crawled  under  it  to  get  at  the  box.  Jim  Sankey  was  the 
first  to  shake  himself  free  from  him,  and  seeing  what  Ful- 
larton  was  doing  he  jumped  on  to  the  bed  and  gave  him 
his  assistance,  and  in  half  a  minute  the  ruffian's  leg  was 
lashed  to  the  bed-post,  at  a  height  of  five  feet  from  the 
ground.  Just  as  this  was  done  there  was  a  rush  of  feet 
outside,  and  three  men,  one  holding  a  cutlass  and  the  other 
two  armed  with  pokers,  ran  into  the  room.  It  was  for- 
tunate they  did  so,  for  the  man  whom  Bob  had  first  felled  was 
just  rising  to  his  feet;  but  he  was  at  once  struck  down  again 
by  a  heavy  blow  over  the  head  with  the  cutlass.  By  this 
time  the  admiral  had  torn  off  the  bandage  across  his  mouth. 

"  Another  of  them  ran  downstairs,  Jackson.  Give  chase. 
We  can  deal  with  these  fellows." 

The  three  men  rushed  off. 

"Well,  I  don't  know  who  you  are,"  the  admiral  went  on, 
turning  to  the  boys,  "but  you  turned  up  at  the  nick  of  time, 
and  I  am  deeply  indebted  to  you,  not  only  for  saving  my 
money,  although  I  should  not  have  liked  to  lose  that,  but 
for  having  captured  these  pirates.  That  villain  has  not  hurt 
you  much,  I  hope  ?  "  for  both  Bob  and  Jim  Sankey  were  bleed- 
ing freely  from  the  face  from  the  heavy  blows  the  robber 
had  dealt  them. 

"No,  sir;  we  are  not  hurt  to  speak  of,"  Bob  said.  "We 
belong  to  Tulloch's  school." 

"To  the  school!"  the  admiral  exclaimed.  "What  on 
earth  are  you  doing  here  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning? 
But  never  mind  that  now.  What  is  it,  Jackson,  has  he  got 
away?  " 

"  No,  sir;  he  was  lying  in  a  heap  at  the  bottom  of  the 
stairs.     There  was  a  lanyard  fastened  across." 

"We  tied  a  string  across,  sir,  as  we  came  up,"  Bob  ex- 
plained. 


"  SOMETHING    LIKE    AN   ADVENTURE."  27 

"  Well  done,  lads  !  Are  there  any  more  of  them,  Jackson?  " 

"Don't  see  any  signs  of  any  more,  admiral.  There  are 
the  two  plate  chests  in  the  passage,  as  if  they  had  been 
brought  out  from  the  butler's  strong  room  in  readiness  to 
take  away." 

"Where  is  the  butler?  He  must  have  heard  the  pistol- 
shots  !  "  the  admiral  exclaimed  angrily. 

"He  is  not  in  his  room,  admiral.  We  looked  in  to  bring 
him  with  us.     The  door  was  open,  but  he  isn't  there." 

"There  is  another  man  in  the  drawing-room  tied  up," 
Bob  said.     "He  was  putting  a  lot  of  things  into  a  sack." 

"The  scoundrel !  Perhaps  that  is  the  butler,"  the  admiral 
said.  "Well,  Emma,  you  had  better  go  back  to  bed  again. 
Jackson,  you  stand  guard  over  these  two  villains  here,  and 
split  their  heads  open  if  they  venture  to  move.  Now  let 
us  go  and  see  to  this  other  fellow." 

The  admiral  proceeded  downstairs,  followed  by  the  boys. 
The  other  two  servants  were  standing  beside  the  third 
robber,  who  was  still  insensible.  "You  keep  watch  over 
him,  John,"  the  admiral  said.  "Williams,  you  come  with 
us;  there  is  another  man  in  the  drawing-room,  but  he  is  tied 
up." 

"There  is  the  key,  sir,"  Bob  said,  producing  it.  "We 
thought  it  safest  to  lock  him  up." 

"Upon  my  word,  young  gentlemen,  you  seem  to  have 
thought  of  everything.  If  I  were  in  command  of  a  ship  I 
should  like  to  have  you  all  as  midshipmen." 

The  door  was  open;  the  man  was  still  lying  on  the 
ground,  but  had  rolled  some  distance  from  where  they  had 
left  him.  He  had  succeeded  in  getting  his  feet  loosened 
from  the  handkerchief,  but  the  whip-cord  round  his  wrists 
had  resisted  all  his  efforts  to  break  or  slacken  it.  He  was 
panting  heavily  from  the  exertions  he  had  made. 

"It  is  Harper,"  the  admiral  said  in  a  tone  of  indignation 
and  disgust.  "  So,  you  treacherous  scoundrel,  it  was  you  who 
let  these  men  in,  was  it?     Well,  it  is  a  hanging  matter,  my 


28  HELD    FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

lad;  and  if  any  fellow  deserves  the  rope,  you  do.  You  had 
better  go  and  get  some  more  cord,  Williams,  and  tie  all  these 
four  fellows  up  securely.     Let  Jackson  see  to  the  knots. 

"Where  did  the  scoundrels  get  in?  "  he  asked,  turning  to 
the  boys. 

"At  the  door  at  the  end  of  the  passage,  sir,  where  the 
plate  chests  are  standing.  We  found  it  open;  here  is  the 
key  of  it.  We  locked  it  after  we  came  in,  so  as  to  prevent 
anyone  from  getting  away.  There  is  another  man  with  a 
cart  in  the  road." 

"We  will  see  to  him  directly  we  have  got  the  others  all 
tied  up  safely,"  the  admiral  said.  "That  is  the  first  thing 
to  see  to." 

In  five  minutes  the  four  men  were  laid  side  by  side  in 
the  hall,  securely  bound  hand  and  foot. 

"Now,  Williams,  you  keep  guard  over  them.  Jackson,  do 
you  and  John  sally  out.  There  is  a  cart  standing  outside  the 
gate  and  a  fellow  in  it,  bring  him  in  and  lay  him  alongside 
the  others."  The  boys  followed  the  two  men  to  see  the 
capture.  The  light  had  broadened  out  over  the  sky,  and 
it  was  almost  sunrise  as  they  sallied  out.  They  went  quietly 
along  until  they  reached  the  gate,  which  stood  ajar,  then 
they  flung  it  open  and  rushed  out.  To  their  disappointment 
the  cart  was  standing  about  fifty  yards  lower  down  the  hill. 
The  man  was  in  it,  with  his  whip  in  one  hand  and  the  reins 
in  another,  and  was  looking  back,  and  the  moment  he  saw 
them  he  struck  the  horse  and  drove  off  at  the  top  of  his 
speed.  The  pace  was  such  that  it  was  hopeless  for  them  to 
think  of  following  him. 

"I  expect  he  heard  the  pistol  shots,"  Jackson  said,  "and 
sheered  off  a  bit  so  as  to  be  able  to  cut  and  run  if  he  found 
his  consorts  were  in  trouble.  Well,  we  cannot  help  it;  we 
have  taken  four  prizes  out  of  the  five,  and  I  call  that  pretty 
fair." 

"I  think  we  had  better  go  now,"  Bob  said.  "We  have 
got  a  friend  waiting  for  us." 


"  SOMETHING    LIKE    AN    ADVENTURE."  29 

"Then  he  must  wait  a  bit  longer,"  Jackson  said;  "the 
admiral  will  want  to  ask  you  some  more  questions.  But  if 
your  friend  is  anywhere  near,  one  of  you  might  run  and  tell 
him  to  back  and  fill  a  bit  till  you  come  to  him." 

"Tell  him  to  do  what?  "  Jim  Sankey  asked. 

"Tell  him  to  wait  a  bit,  lad." 

"I  will  run  up,"  Wharton  said.  "Shall  I  tell  him  we 
sha'n't  want  him  at  all  to-day,  Bob?  " 

"I  think  so,  Wharton.  You  see  it  is  four  o'clock  now, 
and  we  mayn't  be  able  to  get  away  for  half  an  hour,  and  it 
will  be  too  late  then.  Besides,  Jim  and  I  have  been  knocked 
about  too  much  to  care  for  rabbit-hunting  now.  You  tell 
him  we  will  go  some  other  day." 

"You  needn't  tell  him  that,  Wharton,"  Fullarton  put  in. 
"  It  will  be  some  time  before  we  get  a  chance,  you  may  be 
sure." 

"All  right!  tell  him  to  go  home  then,  Wharton.  Tell 
him  I  will  make  it  all  right  with  him  for  losing  his  morn- 
ing's work.  Of  course  you  will  come  in  here  when  you 
come  down  the  hill  again." 

Wharton  nodded,  and  started  at  a  run  up  the  hill,  while 
his  companions  accompanied  the  two  men  into  the  house. 
The  admiral  was  down  in  the  hall  again.  He  had  now  had 
time  to  add  to  his  former  scanty  costume. 

"Get  the  shutters  of  the  drawing-room  open,  Jackson," 
he  said,  after  hearing  the  report  of  the  man's  escape,  "and 
tell  the  maids — I  suppose  they  are  all  up — to  light  a  fire 
and  get  some  coffee  ready  at  once,  and  something  to  eat. 
Now,  young  gentlemen,  sit  down  and  tell  me  all  about  this 
business.     Now,  which  of  you  will  be  spokesman?  " 

Jim  nodded  to  Bob. 

"It's  his  doing,  sir;  I  mean  about  our  coming  in  here. 
We  should  never  have  thought  anything  about  the  cart  if  it 
hadn't  been  for  Bob,  and  we  didn't  much  like  coming;  only 
he  pretty  well  made  us,  and  he  arranged  it  all." 

"That's  all  rot5"  Bob  said.      "We  were  just  all  in  it  to- 


30  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

gether,  sir,  and  this  is  how  it  was."  And  he  told  the  whole 
story  of  what  had  taken  place. 

"Well,  you  couldn't  have  done  better  if  you  had  been 
officers,  in  His  Majesty's  service,"  the  admiral  said.  "You 
have  saved  me  the  loss  of  my  two  plate-chests,  of  all  the 
plate  in  this  room,  and  that  couldn't  be  counted  in  money, 
for  they  were  most  of  the  things  given  me  at  different  times 
on  service,  and  of  ^"500  I  had  in  that  box  upstairs — alto- 
gether at  least  ^2000  in  money  value.  More  than  that, 
you  prevented  my  being  captured,  and  it  would  have  been 
a  sorer  blow  to  me  than  the  loss  of  the  money  if  those 
scoundrels  had  had  their  way  and  had  got  off  scot  free. 
But  you  haven't  told  me  yet  how  you  happened  to  be  going 
up  the  hill  at  half -past  three  o'clock  in  the  morning.  What 
on  earth  were  you  doing  there?  Surely  your  master  does 
not  allow  you  to  ramble  about  in  the  middle  of  the  night." 

"Well,  no,  sir;  that  is  the  worst  of  it,"  Bob  said.  "You 
see  I  had  arranged  with  one  of  the  fishermen's  boys,  who 
has  got  a  first-rate  dog,  that  we  could  meet  him  upon  the 
Common,  and  do  some  rabbit-hunting.  We  slipped  out  from 
Tulloch's,  and  meant  to  have  been  back  before  anyone  was 
up.  And  now  I  expect  we  shall  get  it  nicely,  because  I 
suppose  it  must  all  come  out." 

The  admiral  laughed.  "  You  are  four  nice  young  scamps !  " 
he  said,  for  Wharton,  had  rejoined  them  before  Bob  had 
finished  the  story;  "but  it  is  not  for  me  to  blame  you.  It 
will  certainly  have  to  be  told,  lads,  because  you  will  have  to 
appear  as  witnesses  at  the  trial  of  these  fellows;  but  I  will 
go  down  myself  the  first  thing  in  the  morning  and  speak  to 
your  master." 

"Thank  you,  sir,"  Bob  said,  "it  won't  make  any  differ- 
ence about  the  thrashing;  we  are  bound  to  get  that.  But 
we  sha'n't  mind  that,  we  are  pretty  well  accustomed  to  it. 
Still,  if  you  speak  for  us,  I  expect  we  shall  get  off  with 
that,  otherwise  I  don't  know  what  Tulloch  would  have  done 
when  he  found  out  that  we  had  been  slipping  out  at  night." 


"something  like  an  adventure."  31 

"I  expect  it  is  not  the  first  time  you  have  done  it?  " 

"  Well,  no,  it  is  not,  sir.  We  have  been  out  two  or  three 
times  with  one  of  the  fishermen  in  his  boat." 

"I  expect  you  are  nice  young  pickles,"  the  admiral  said. 
"Well,  what  time  does  school  begin?  " 

" Half-past  seven,  sir." 

"Very  well,  then.  I  will  be  there  at  that  hour,  lads,  and 
do  my  best  for  you.  You  see,  with  those  faces  of  yours  you 
would  be  sure  to  be  noticed  anyhow,  and  I  hope  you  wouldn't 
in  any  case  have  been  mean  enough  to  screen  yourselves  by 
lying." 

"That  we  shouldn't,"  Bob  said.  "I  don't  think  there 
is  a  boy  in  the  school  who  would  tell  a  lie  to  Tulloch." 

"That  is  right,  lads.  A  gentleman  will  never  tell  a  lie 
to  screen  himself  when  he  has  got  into  a  scrape.  I  wouldn't 
keep  the  smartest  young  officer  in  the  service  on  board  a  ship 
of  mine  if  I  caught  him  telling  a  lie,  for  I  should  know  that 
he  would  not  only  be  a  blackguard  but  a  coward.  Coward- 
ice is  at  the  bottom  of  half  the  lying  of  the  world.  I  would 
overlook  anything  except  lying.  Upon  my  word,  I  would 
rather  that  a  boy  were  a  thief  than  a  liar.  Well,  here  is 
breakfast.  Now  sit  down  and  make  yourselves  at  home, 
while  I  go  up  and  see  how  my  daughter  is  after  the  fright 
she  has  had." 

Half  an  hour  later,  after  eating  a  hearty  breakfast,  the 
four  boys  started  for  school. 


CHAPTER   II. 

A    GREAT    CHANGE. 

IT  was  just  striking  six  when  they  again  climbed  over  the 
wall  and  descended  by  the  tree.  They  had  had  a  dis- 
cussion whether  they  should  wait  until  the  doors  were  opened 
and  walk  quietly  in,  or  return  as  they  left.  They  adopted 
the  latter  plan,  because  they  thought  that  if  the  matter  was 
reported  to  Mr.  Tulloch  he  might  proceed  to  administer 
punishment  before  the  admiral  arrived  to  give  his  version 
of  the  affair.  The  door  was  still  ajar.  As  they  opened  it 
they  gave  an  exclamation  of  surprise,  for  there,  sitting  on 
a  chair  in  the  passage,  was  Mr.  Purfleet.  He  smiled  un- 
pleasantly. "So  here  you  are.  You  have  had  a  pleasant 
ramble,  no  doubt,  but  I  don't  quite  know  what  view  Mr. 
Tulloch  may  take  of  it." 

"It  was  very  good  of  you  to  sit  up  for  us,  Mr.  Purfleet," 
Bob  said  quietly;  "but  you  see  we  had  left  the  door  open, 
and  could  have  got  in  by  ourselves.  I  hope  you  will  not 
have  caught  cold  sitting  there  only  in  a  dressing-gown." 

"You  are  an  impudent  young  scamp !  "  Mr.  Purfleet  said 
in  a  rage.  "  You  will  laugh  with  the  other  side  of  your  mouth 
presently.  You  and  Sankey  are  nice-looking  figures,  ain't 
you,  with  your  faces  ail  cut  and  swollen." 

"We  have  been  a  little  in  the  wars,"  Bob  replied. 

"I  don't  want  to  hear  anything  about  it,"  the  usher  re- 
plied.   "You  will  have  to  explain  matters  to  Mr.  Tulloch." 

"So  I  suppose,  Mr.  Purfleet.  Well,  Jim,  we'll  go  and 
have  a  good  wash.    The  bell  will  be  ringing  in  half  an  hour. " 


A    GREAT    CHANGE.  33 

So  saying,  Bob  went  into  the  lavatory,  followed  by  his 
companions,  while  the  usher  returned  upstairs.  He  was 
certainly  disappointed.  Quietly  as  the  boys  had  dressed, 
the  slight  noise  they  had  made  in  closing  the  door  had  woke 
him.  He  thought  little  of  it,  but  just  as  he  was  going  off  to 
sleep  again  he  heard  the  bolts  of  the  door  below  withdrawn. 
He  at  once  got  up  and  walked  to  the  other  end  of  the  dor- 
mitory, and  discovered  that  the  four  boys  were  missing. 
Chuckling  to  himself  that  he  should  now  be  able  to  repay 
the  grudge  he  owed  to  Bob,  he  put  on  his  dressing-gown 
and  went  downstairs,  and  had  sat  there  for  three  hours  mo- 
mently expecting  their  return.  He  had  certainly  felt  chilly, 
but  had  borne  it  patiently,  comforted  by  the  joyful  expec- 
tation of  the  utter  dismay  that  would  be  felt  by  the  culprits 
when  they  saw  him.  The  meeting  had  not  passed  off  at  all 
as  he  had  anticipated,  and  he  could  only  console  himself  by 
thinking  that  his  turn  would  come  when  he  made  his  report 
to  Mr.  Tulloch. 

The  four  boys  did  not  return  to  the  dormitory,  but  after 
they  had  washed  strolled  about  in  the  playground.  There 
was  quite  a  ferment  in  the  dormitory  when  their  absence 
was  perceived,  and  the  others  noticed  the  four  made-up 
figures  in  their  place.  The  operation  of  dressing  was  got 
through  with  much  greater  alacrity  than  usual,  and  when 
they  went  downstairs  and  saw  the  four  missing  boys  in  the 
playground,  these  were  at  once  surrounded  by  an  excited 
throng.     They  refused,  however,  to  answer  any  questions. 

"You  will  hear  it  all  in  good  time,"  Bob  said.  "  We  have 
been  out,  and  we  have  been  caught;  that  is  all  I  am 
going  to  tell  you." 

At  the  usual  hour  the  bell  rang,  and  the  boys  assembled 
in  the  school-room.  The  two  ushers  were  in  their  places. 
They  waited  three  or  four  minutes  for  Mr.  Tulloch  to  ap- 
pear, then  the  door  opened  and  the  man-servant  entered, 
and,  walking  up  to  Mr.  Moffat,  said  a  word  or  two.  The 
latter  nodded. 


34  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

"Lessons  will  begin  at  once,"  he  said  in  a  loud  voice. 
"The  first  class  will  come  up  to  me." 

The  boys  of  this  class,  who  occupied  the  senior  dormitory, 
at  once  began  their  lessons,  while  Mr.  Purfleet  took  the 
lower  class.  The  second  class,  including  Bob  and  his  friends, 
remained  in  their  places.  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  door 
opened  and  Mr.  Tulloch  entered,  accompanied  by  Admiral 
Langton.  Mr.  Tulloch  was  looking  very  serious,  while  the 
admiral  looked  hot  and  angry. 

"  We  are  going  to  catch  it,"  Bob  whispered  to  Jim  Sankey. 
"I  knew  the  admiral  wouldn't  be  able  to  get  us  off." 

"I  wish  all  the  boys  to  return  to  their  places,  Mr.- Moffat. 
I  have  something  to  say,"  Mr.  Tulloch  said  in  a  loud  voice. 

When  the  boys  were  all  seated  he  went  on:  "Admiral 
Langton  has  been  telling  me  that  four  of  my  boys  were  out 
and  about  soon  after  three  o'clock  this  morning.  The  four 
boys  in  question  will  stand  up.  I  do  not  say  that  this  is 
the  first  time  that  such  a  serious  infraction  of  the  rules  of 
the  school  has  taken  place.  It  has  happened  before.  It 
may,  for  aught  I  know,  have  happened  many  times  without 
my  knowledge;  but  upon  the  occasions  when  it  has  come  to 
my  knowledge  the  offenders  have  been  most  severely  pun- 
ished. They  must  be  punished  now.  Admiral  Langton 
has  been  telling  me  that  the  boys  in  question  have  behaved 
with  very  great  courage,  and  have  been  the  means  of  saving 
him  from  the  loss  of  a  large  sum  of  money  and  plate,  and 
of  capturing  four  burglars." 

A  buzz  of  surprise  passed  round  the  school. 

"That  this  conduct  does  them  great  credit  I  am  fully 
prepared  to  admit.  Had  they  been  aware  that  this  burglary 
was  about  to  be  committed,  and  had  they  broken  out  of  the 
house  in  the  middle  of  the  night  for  the  purpose  of  prevent- 
ing it,  I  allow  that  it  might  have  been  pleaded  as  an  excuse 
for  their  offence;  but  this  was  not  so.  It  was  an  accident 
that  occurred  to  them  when  they  were  engaged  in  breaking 
the  rules,  and  cannot  be  pleaded  as  a  set-off  against  punish- 


A    GREAT    CHANGE.  35 

ment.  Admiral  Langton  has  pleaded  with  me  very  strongly 
for  a  pardon  for  them,  but  I  regret  that  I  am  unable  to  com- 
ply with  his  request.  The  admiral,  as  a  sailor,  is  well  aware 
that  discipline  must  be  maintained,  and  I  am  quite  sure  that 
when  he  was  in  command  of  a  ship  he  would  not  have  per- 
mitted his  judgment  to  be  biased  by  anyone.  I  have  put  it 
to  him  in  that  way,  and  he  acknowledges  that  to  be  so.  The 
two  matters  stand  distinct.  The  boys  must  be  punished  for 
this  gross  breach  of  the  rules.  They  may  be  thanked  and 
applauded  for  the  courage  they  have  shown  and  the  valuable 
service  they  have  rendered  to  Admiral  Langton.  I  have, 
however,  so  far  yielded  to  his  entreaties,  that  while  I  must 
administer  a  severe  caning  for  the  gross  breach  of  the  rules, 
I  shall  abstain  from  taking  any  further  steps  in  the  matter, 
and  from  writing  to  the  boys'  parents  and  guardians  request- 
ing them  to  remove  their  sons  from  the  school  at  once,  as  I 
certainly  otherwise  would  have  done.  At  the  same  time, 
I  am  willing  to  hear  anything  that  these  boys  may  have  to 
urge  in  explanation  or  defence  of  their  conduct.  I  have 
already  been  informed  by  Admiral  Langton  that  their  object 
in  so  breaking  out  was  to  hunt  rabbits  up  on  the  Common." 

"I  wish  to  say,  sir,"  Bob  said  in  a  steady  voice,  "that  it 
was  entirely  my  doing.  I  made  the  arrangements  and  per- 
suaded the  others  to  go,  and  I  think  it  is  only  right  that 
they  should  not  be  punished  as  severely  as  I  am." 

"We  were  all  in  it  together,  sir,"  Jim  Sankey  broke  in. 
"I  was  just  as  keen  on  it  as  Bob  was." 

"So  was  I,"  Fullarton  and  Wharton  said  together. 

"Well,  lads,"  Admiral  Langton  said,  taking  a  step  for- 
ward and  addressing  the  boys  in  general,  "as  your  master 
says,  discipline  is  discipline;  this  is  his  ship,  and  he  is  on  his 
own  quarter-deck;  but  I  wish  to  tell  you  all  that  in  my 
opinion  you  have  every  reason  to  be  proud  of  your  school- 
fellows. They  behaved  with  the  greatest  pluck  and  gal- 
lantry, and  were  I  again  in  command  of  a  ship  I  should  be 
glad  to  have  them  serving  me.     I  am  only  sorry  that  I 


36  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

cannot  persuade  Mr.  Tulloch  to  see  the  matter  in  the  same 
light  as  I  do.  Good-bye,  lads!  "  and  he  walked  across  and 
shook  hands  with  the  four  boys.  "  I  shall  see  you  again 
soon;  "  and  the  admiral  turned  abruptly  and  walked  out  of 
the  school-room. 

Mr.  Tulloch  at  once  proceeded  to  carry  his  sentence  into 
effect,  and  the  four  boys  received  as  severe  a  caning  as  ever 
they  had  had  in  their  lives;  and  even  Bob,  case-hardened  as 
he  was,  had  as  much  as  he  could  do  to  prevent  himself  from 
uttering  a  sound  while  it  was  being  inflicted.  Lessons  were 
then  continued  as  usual  until  eight  o'clock,  when  the  boys 
went  in  to  breakfast.  After  that  was  over  they  went  into 
the  playground  until  nine,  and  the  four  culprits  gave  the 
rest  a  full  account  of  the  events  of  the  night. 

"I  don't  mind  the  thrashing,"  Bob  said,  "although  Tul- 
loch did  lay  it  on  hot.  It  was  well  worth  it,  if  it  had  only 
been  to  see  that  sneak  Purfleet's  face  when  the  admiral  told 
the  story.  I  was  watching  him  when  Tulloch  came  in,  and 
saw  how  delighted  he  was  at  the  tale  he  was  going  to  tell, 
and  how  satisfied  he  was  that  he  should  get  no  end  of  credit 
for  sitting  three  hours  in  his  dressing-gown  in  order  to  catch 
us  when  we  came  in.  It  was  an  awful  sell  for  him  when  he 
saw  that  the  admiral  had  come  out  with  the  whole  story, 
and  there  was  nothing  whatever  for  him  to  tell." 

When  they  went  into  the  school  again  Mr.  Tulloch  said: 
"Boys,  I  hear  that  four  of  your  number  have  behaved  with 
great  gallantry.  They  have  prevented  a  serious  robbery, 
and  arrested  the  men  engaged  in  it.  I  shall  therefore  give 
you  a  holiday  for  the  remainder  of  the  day.  The  four  boys' 
in  question  will  proceed  at  once  to  Admiral  Langton's,  as 
they  will  be  required  to  accompany  him  to  Kingston,  where 
the  prisoners  will  be  brought  up  before  the  magistrates." 

There  was  a  general  cheer  from  the  boys,  and  then  Bob 
and  his  companions  hurried  upstairs  to  put  on  their  best 
clothes,  and  ran  off  to  the  admiral's. 

"Well,  boys,  is  it  all  over?"  he  asked  as  they  entered. 


A    GREAT    CHANGE.  37 

"All  over,  sir,"  they  replied  together. 

"Well,  boys,  I  think  it  was  a  shame,  but  I  suppose  disci- 
pline must  be  maintained  in  school  as  well  as  on  board  a 
ship;  but  it  vexes  me  amazingly  to  think  that  I  have  been 
the  means  of  bringing  you  into  it." 

"It  is  just  the  other  way,  sir,"  Bob  said;  "and  it  is  very 
lucky  for  us  that  we  came  in  here,  sir,  instead  of  going  up 
to  the  Common  as  we  intended.  One  of  the  ushers  found 
out  that  we  had  gone,  and  sat  up  until  we  came  back;  and 
if  it  had  not  been  for  you  we  should  not  only  have  got  a 
thrashing,  but  should  all  have  been  expelled;  so  it  is  the 
luckiest  thing  possible  that  we  came  in  here." 

"Well,  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  that,  boy's.  It  has  taken 
a  load  off  my  mind,  for  I  have  been  thinking  that  if  you  had 
not  come  in  to  help  me  you  would  have  got  back  without 
being  noticed.  Emma,  these  are  the  four  lads  who  did  us 
such  good  service  last  night.  They  caught  sight  of  you 
before,  but  you  were  hardly  in  a  state  to  receive  them 
formally." 

The  young  lady  laughed  as  she  came  forward  and  shook 
hands  with  them. 

"You  need  not  have  mentioned  that,  papa.  Well,  I  am 
very  much  "obliged  to  you  all,  for  I  have  no  doubt  they 
meant  to  have  my  watch  and  jewels  as  well  as  papa's  money." 

" Now,  it  is  time  for  us  to  be  off,"  the  admiral  said.  "  My 
carriage  is  at  the  door,  and  a  fly.  You  two  who  have  been 
knocked  about  had  better  come  with  my  daughter  and  my- 
self. The  others  can  either  ride  inside  the  fly,  or  one  can 
go  on  the  box  of  each  vehicle,  as  you  like." 

Wharton  and  Fullarton  both  said  that  they  should  prefer 
going  outside,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they  were  on  their  way, 
the  three  men-servants  riding  inside  the  fly.  The  prisoners 
had  been  sent  off  two  hours  before  in  a  cart  under  the 
charge  of  the  two  local  constables.  The  case  lasted  but  an 
hour,  the  four  men  being  all  committed  for  trial.  The 
party  then  returned  to  Putney,  the  admiral  insisting  upon 


38  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

the  boys  stopping  to  lunch  with  him.  After  the  meal  was 
over,  he  inquired  what  they  were  going  to  do  on  leaving 
school,  and  what  profession  they  intended  to  adopt. 

Bob  was  the  first  questioned. 

"I  am  going  to  be  a  wine-merchant,  sir,"  he  said.  "I 
have  got  no  choice  about  it.  I  lost  my  father  and  mother 
years  ago,  and  my  guardian,  who  is  an  uncle  of  mine,  is  in 
the  wine  trade,  and  he  says  I  have  got  to  go  in  too.  I  think 
it  is  horrid,  but  there  is  no  good  talking  to  him.  He  is  an 
awfully  crusty  old  chap.  I  should  like  to  be  a  soldier  or  a 
sailor,  but  of  course  it  is  of  no  use  thinking  of  it.  My 
guardian  has  been  very  kind  to  me  even  though  he  is  so 
crusty,  and  it  wouldn't  be  right  not  to  do  as  he  tells  me;  and 
I  don't  suppose  the  wine  business  is  so  very  bad  when  one 
is  accustomed  to  it." 

"Has  your  uncle  any  sons,  lad?  " 

"  No,  sir,  he  is  an  old  bachelor,  and  he  says  that  some  day 
I  am  to  have  his  business." 

"Then  you  can't  do  better  than  stick  to  it,  lad,"  the 
admiral  said.  "A  boy  who  has  before  him  the  prospect  of 
a  solid,  substantial  living  on  shore  is  simply  a  fool  if  he  goes 
to  sea.  It  is  a  rough  life  and  a  hard  one,  and  if  you  don't 
get  shot  or  drowned  you  may  get  laid  on  the  shelf  with  the 
loss  of  a  limb,  and  a  pension  that  won't  find  you  in  grog  and 
tobacco.  It  is  a  pity,  for  you  would  have  made  a  good 
officer;  but  you  will  be  vastly  better  off  in  all  respects  at 
home,  and  I  can  tell  you  there  is  not  one  sailor  out  of  five 
who  would  not  jump  at  a  berth  on  shore  if  he  could  get  the 
chance." 

Sankey's  father  was  a  country  clergyman,  and  at  present 
Jim  had  no  particular  prospect. 

"Would  you  like  to  go  to  sea,  boy?  " 

"Yes,  sir;   I  should  like  it  of  all  things." 

"Very  well;  give  me  your  father's  name  and  address  and 
I  will  write  to  him  about  it." 

Fullarton's  father  was  a  landed  proprietor  in  Somerset- 


A    GREAT    CHANGE.  39 

shire,  and  he  was  the  eldest  son.  Wharton  was  to  be  a 
lawyer,  and  was  to  begin  in  his  father's  office  in  a  year  or 
two.  Admiral  Langton  took  notes  of  the  addresses  of  the 
boys'  relatives.  When  he  had  done  that  he  said  to  them : 
"  Now,  lads,  I  know  you  would  rather  be  off.  I  remember 
when  I  was  a  midshipman  I  was  always  glad  enough  to 
escape  when  I  had  to  dine  with  the  captain." 

A  week  later  a  young  man  came  down  from  a  city  watch- 
maker's with  four  handsome  gold  watches  and  chains  for  the 
boys,  with  an  inscription  stating  that  they  had  been  pre- 
sented to  them  by  Admiral  Langton  in  remembrance  of 
their  gallant  conduct  on  the  night  of  August  6th,  1778. 
They  were  immensely  delighted  with  the  gift,  for  watches 
were  in  those  days  far  more  expensive  luxuries  than  at 
present,  and  their  use  was  comparatively  rare.  With  the 
watches  were  four  short  notes  from  the  admiral,  inviting 
them  to  come  up  on  the  following  Saturday  afternoon.  They 
had  by  this  time  received  letters  from  their  friends,  who  had 
each  received  a  communication  from  the  admiral  expressing 
his  warm  commendation  of  their  conduct,  and  his  thanks  for 
the  services  that  the  boys  had  rendered. 

Jim  Sankey's  father  wrote  saying  that  the  admiral  had 
offered  to  procure  him  a  berth  as  a  midshipman  at  once, 
and  that  he  had  written  thankfully  accepting  the  offer,  as 
he  knew  that  it  was  what  Jim  had  been  most  earnestly 
wishing;  though,  as  he  had  no  interest  whatever  among 
naval  men,  he  had  hitherto  seen  no  chance  of  his  being 
able  to  obtain  such  an  appointment.  This  communication 
put  Jim  into  a  state  of  the  wildest  delight,  and  rendered 
him  an  object  of  envy  to  his  school-fellows.  Fullarton's 
father  wrote  his  son  a  hearty  letter  congratulating  him  on 
what  he  had  done,  and  saying  that  he  felt  proud  of  the 
letter  he  had  received  from  the  admiral.  Wharton's  father 
wrote  to  him  sharply,  saying  that  thief-taking  was  a  busi- 
ness that  had  better  be  left  to  constables,  and  that  he  did 
not  approve  of  freaks  of  that  kind. 


40  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

Mr.  Bale  wrote  an  irascible  letter  to  Bob.  "My  dear 
nephew,"  he  began,  "I  am  astonished  and  most  seriously 
displeased  at  contents  of  communication  I  have  received 
from  a  person  signing  himself  J.  Langton,  admiral.  I  gather 
from  it  that  instead  of  pursuing  your  studies  you  are  wan- 
dering about  at  night  engaged  in  pursuits  akin  to  poaching. 
I  say  akin,  because  I  am  not  aware  whether  the  wild  animals 
upon  the  common  are  the  property  of  the  lord  of  the  manor 
or  whether  they  are  at  the  mercy  of  vagabonds.  It  appears 
to  me  that  there  can  be  no  proper  supervision  exercised  by 
your  masters.  I  spoke  to  you  when  you  were  here  six 
weeks  ago  as  to  your  school  reports,  which,  although  fairly 
satisfactory  as  to  your  abilities,  said  there  was  a  great  want 
of  steadiness  in  your  general  conduct.  I  am  convinced 
that  you  are  doing  no  good  for  yourself,  and  that  the  sooner 
you  settle  down  to  a  desk  in  my  office  the  better.  I  have 
therefore  written  this  morning  informing  Mr.  Tulloch  that 
I  shall  remove  you  at  Michaelmas. 

"  Your  sister  has  been  here  with  her  husband  to-day.  I 
am  sorry  to  say  that  they  do  not  view  your  wild  and  lawless 
conduct  in  the  same  light  that  I  do,  and  that  they  are 
unable  to  see  there  is  anything  positively  disreputable  in 
your  being  mixed  up  in  midnight  adventures  with  burglars. 
I  am  glad  to  gather  from  Admiral  Langton' s  letter  that 
Mr.  Tulloch  has  seen  your  conduct  in  the  proper  light,  and 
has  inflicted  a  well-merited  punishment  upon  you.  All 
this  is  a  very  bad  preparation  for  your  future  career  as  a 
respectable  trader,  and  I  am  most  annoyed  to  hear  that  you 
will  be  called  on  to  appear  as  a  witness  against  the  men 
who  have  been  captured.  I  have  written  to  Admiral  Lang- 
ton acknowledging  his  letter,  and  expressing  my  surprise 
that  a  gentleman  in  his  position  should  give  any  counte- 
nance whatever  to  a  lad  who  has  been  engaged  in  breaking 
the  rules  of  his  school,  and  in  wandering  at  night  like  a 
vagabond  through  the  country." 

Bob  looked  rather  serious  as  he  read  through  the  letter 


A    GREAT    CHANGE.  41 

for  the  first  time,  but  after  going  through  it  again  he  burst 
into  a  shout  of  laughter. 

"What  is  it,  Bob?"  Tom  Fullarton  asked. 

"Read  this  letter,  Tom.  I  should  like  to  have  seen  the 
admiral's  face  as  he  read  my  uncle's  letter.  But  it  is  too 
bad.  You  see  I  have  regularly  done  for  myself.  I  was  to 
have  stopped  here  till  a  year  come  Christmas,  and  now  I 
have  to  leave  at  Michaelmas.     I  call  it  a  beastly  shame." 

It  was  some  consolation  to  Bob  to  receive  next  morning 
a  letter  from  his  sister,  saying  she  was  delighted  to  hear  how 
he  had  distinguished  himself  in  the  capture  of  the  burglars. 
"Of  course  it  was  very  wrong  of  you  to  get  out  at  night; 
but  Gerald  says  that  boys  are  always  up  to  tricks  of  that 
sort,  and  so  I  suppose  that  it  wasn't  so  bad  as  it  seems  to 
me.  Uncle  John  pretends  to  be  in  a  terrible  rage  about  it, 
but  I  don't  think  he  is  really  as  angry  as  he  makes  himself 
out  to  be.  He  blew  me  up  and  said  that  I  had  always 
encouraged  you,  which  of  course  I  haven't;  and  when 
Gerald  tried  to  say  a  good  word  for  you,  he  turned  upon 
him  and  said  something  about  fellow-feeling  making  men 
wondrous  kind. 

"  Gerald  only  laughed,  and  said  he  was  glad  my  uncle  had 
such  a  good  opinion  of  him,  and  that  he  should  have  liked  to 
have  been  there  to  lend  a  hand  in  the  fight;  and  then  uncle 
said  something  disagreeable,  and  we  came  away.  But  I  feel 
almost  sure  that  Uncle  John  is  not  really  so  angry  as  he 
seems;  and  I  believe  that  if  Gerald  and  I  had  taken  the 
other  side,  and  had  said  that  your  conduct  had  been  very 
wicked,  he  would  have  defended  you.  It  was  stupid  of  us 
not  to  think  of  it,  for  you  know  uncle  always  likes  to  dis- 
agree with  other  people — there  is  nothing  he  hates  more 
than  their  agreeing  with  him.  His  bark  is  much  worse 
than  his  bite,  and  you  must  not  forget  how  good  and  kind 
he  has  been  to  us  all. 

"You  know  how  angry  he  was  with  my  marriage,  and  he 
said  I  had  better  have  drowned  myself  than  have  married  a 


42  HELD    FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

soldier,  and  I  had  better  have  hung  myself  than  have 
married  an  Irishman — specially  when  he  had  intended  all 
along  that  I  should  marry  the  son  of  an  old  friend  of  his,  a 
most  excellent  and  well-conducted  young  man  with  admir- 
able prospects.  But  he  came  round  in  a  month  or  two,  and 
the  first  notice  of  it  was  a  letter  from  his  lawyer  saying 
that,  in  accordance  with  the  instruction  of  his  client,  Mr. 
John  Bale,  he  had  drawn  up  and  now  enclosed  a  post-nuptial 
settlement,  settling  on  me  the  sum  of  ,£5000  consols,  and 
that  his  client  wished  him  to  say  that,  had  I  married  the 
person  he  had  intended  for  me,  that  sum  would  have  been 
doubled. 

"  The  idea,  when  I  never  even  saw  the  man  !  And  when 
I  wrote  thanking  him,  he  made  no  allusion  to  what  he  had 
said  before,  but  wrote  that  he  should  be  glad  at  all  times  to 
see  my  husband  and  myself  whenever  we  came  to  town,  but 
that,  as  I  knew,  his  hours  were  regular  and  the  door  always 
locked  at  ten  o'clock — just  as  if  Gerald  was  in  the  habit  of 
coming  in  drunk  in  the  middle  of  the  night !  Fortunately 
nothing  puts  Gerald  out,  and  he  screamed  over  it;  and  we 
went  and  stopped  a  week  with  uncle  a  month  afterwards, 
and  he  and  Gerald  got  on  capitally  together  considering. 
Gerald  said  it  was  like  a  bear  and  a  monkey  in  one  cage; 
but  it  was  really  very  funny.  So  I  have  no  doubt  he  will 
come  round  with  you.  Do  try  and  not  vex  him  more  than 
you  can  help,  Bob.    You  know  how  much  we  all  owe  him." 

This  was  true.  Bob's  father  had  died  when  he  was  only 
three  years  old,  he  being  a  lawyer  with  a  good  business  at 
Plymouth;  but  he  had  made  no  provision  for  his  early 
death,  and  had  left  his  wife  and  two  children  almost  penni- 
less. Mr.  Bale  had  at  once  taken  charge  of  them,  and  had 
made  his  sister  an  allowance  that  enabled  her  to  live  very 
comfortably.  She  had  remained  in  Plymouth,  as  she  had 
many  friends  there.  Her  daughter  Carrie,  who  was  six 
years  older  than  Bob,  had  four  years  before  married  Gerald 
O'Halloran,  who  was  then  a  lieutenant  in  the  58th  Regi- 


A    GREAT    CHANGE.  43 

ment,  which  was  in  garrison  there.  He  had  a  small  income 
derived  from  an  estate  in  Ireland,  besides  his  pay,  but  the 
young  couple  would  have  been  obliged  to  live  very  econo- 
mically had  it  not  been  for  the  addition  of  the  money  settled 
on  her  by  her  uncle.  Her  mother  had  died  a  few  months 
after  the  marriage,  and  Mr.  Bale  had  at  once  placed  Bob  at 
the  school  at  Putney,  and  had  announced  his  intention  of 
taking  him  in  due  time  into  his  business. 

The  boy  always  spent  one-half  of  his  holidays  with  his 
uncle,  the  other  with  his  sister.  The  former  had  been  a  trial 
both  to  him  and  to  Mr.  Bale.  They  saw  but  little  of  each 
other;  for  Mr.  Bale,  who  like  most  business  men  of  the  time 
lived  over  his  offices,  went  downstairs  directly  he  had  finished 
his  breakfast,  and  did  not  come  up  again  until  his  work  was 
over,  when,  at  five  o'clock,  he  dined.  The  meal  over,  he 
sometimes  went  out  to  the  houses  of  friends  or  to  the  halls 
of  one  or  other  of  the  city  companies  to  which  he  belonged. 
While  Bob  was  with  him  he  told  off  one  of  the  foremen  in 
his  business  to  go  about  with  the  boy.  The  days,  therefore, 
passed  pleasantly,  as  they  generally  went  on  excursions  by 
water  up  or  down  the  river,  or  sometimes,  when  it  was  not 
otherwise  required,  in  a  light  cart  used  in  the  business,  to 
Epping  or  Hainault  Forest. 

Bob  was  expected  to  be  back  to  dinner;  and,  thanks  to 
the  foreman,  who  knew  that  his  employer  would  not  tolerate 
the  smallest  unpunctuality,  he  always  succeeded  in  getting 
back  in  time  to  wash  and  change  his  clothes  for  dinner. 
The  meal  was  a  very  solemn  one,  Mr.  Bale  asking  occasional 
questions,  to  which  Bob  returned  brief  answers.  Once  or 
twice  the  boy  ventured  upon  some  lively  remark,  but  the 
surprise  and  displeasure  expressed  in  his  uncle's  face  at  this 
breach  of  the  respectful  silence  then  generally  enforced  upon 
the  young  in  the  presence  of  their  elders,  deterred  him  from 
often  trying  the  experiment. 

Mr.  Bale  was  as  much  bored  as  was  Bob  by  these  meals, 
and  the  evenings  that  sometimes  followed  them.     He  would 


44  HELD    FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

have  been  glad  to  have  chatted  more  freely  with  his  nephew, 
but  he  was  as  ill  at  ease  with  him  as  he  would  have  been 
with  a  young  monkey.  There  was  nothing  in  common  be- 
tween them,  and  the  few  questions  he  asked  were  the  re- 
sult of  severe  cogitation.  He  used  to  glance  at  the  boy  from 
under  his  eyebrows,  wonder  what  he  was  smiling  to  himself 
about,  and  wish  that  he  understood  him  better.  It  did  not 
occur  to  him  that  if  he  had  drawn  him  out  and  encouraged 
him  to  chatter  as  he  liked,  he  should  get  underneath  the 
surface,  and  might  learn  something  of  the  nature  hidden 
there.  It  was  in  sheer  desperation  at  finding  nothing  to 
say  that  he  would  often  seize  his  hat  and  go  out  when  he 
had  quite  made  up  his  mind  to  stay  indoors  for  the  evening. 
Bob  put  up  as  well  as  he  could  with  his  meals  and  the  dull 
evenings,  for  the  sake  of  the  pleasant  time  he  had  during 
the  day;  but  he  eagerly  counted  the  hours  until  the  time 
when  he  was  to  take  his  place  on  the  coach  for  Canterbury, 
where  the  58th  were  now  quartered.  He  looked  forward 
with  absolute  dread  to  the  time  when  he  would  have  to 
enter  his  uncle's  office. 

"What  is  the  use  of  being  rich,  Carrie,"  he  would  say  to 
his  sister,  "  if  one  lives  as  uncle  does?  I  would  rather  work 
in  the  fields." 

"Yes,  Bob;  but  you  see  when  you  get  to  be  rich  you 
needn't  live  in  the  same  way  at  all.  You  could  live  as  some 
traders  do,  in  the  country  at  Hampstead,  Dulwich,  or 
Chelsea,  and  ride  in  to  business;  and  you  can,  of  course, 
marry  and  enjoy  life.  One  needn't  live  like  a  hermit  all 
alone  because  one  is  a  trader  in  the  city." 

The  one  consolation  Bob  had  was  that  his  uncle  had  once 
said  that  he  considered  it  was  a  great  advantage  to  any 
young  man  going  into  the  wine  trade  to  go  over  to  Spain  or 
Portugal  for  two  or  three  years,  to  learn  the  whole  routine 
of  business  there,  to  study  the  different  growths,  and  know 
their  values,  and  to  form  a  connection  among  the  growers 
and  shippers.    Bob  had  replied  gravely  that  he  thought  this 


A    GREAT    CHANGE.  45 

would  certainly  be  a  great  advantage,  and  that  he  hoped  his 
uncle  would  send  him  over  there. 

"  I  shall  see  when  the  time  comes,  Robert.  It  will,  of 
course,  depend  much  upon  the  relations  between  this  coun- 
try and  Spain  and  Portugal,  and  also  upon  yourself.  I  could 
not,  of  course,  let  you  go  out  there  until  I  was  quite  assured 
of  your  steadiness  of  conduct.  So  far,  although  I  have 
nothing  to  complain  of  myself,  your  schoolmaster's  reports 
are  by  no  means  hopeful  on  that  head.  Still,  we  must  hope 
that  you  will  improve." 

It  was  terrible  to  Bob  to  learn  that  he  was  to  go  fifteen 
months  sooner  than  he  had  expected  to  his  uncle's,  but  he 
was  somewhat  relieved  when,  .upon  his  arrival  at  the  house 
at  Philpot  Lane,  his  uncle,  after  a  very  grave  lecture  on  the 
enormity  of  his  conduct  at  school,  said: 

"I  have  been  thinking,  Robert,  that  it  would  be  more 
pleasant  both  for  you  and  for  me  that  you  should  not  at 
present  take  up  your  abode  here.  I  am  not  accustomed  to 
young  people.  It  would  worry  me  having  you  here,  and, 
after  your  companionship  with  boys  of  your  own  age,  you 
might  find  it  somewhat  dull.  I  have  therefore  arranged 
with  Mr.  Medlin,  my  principal  clerk,  for  you  to  board  with 
him.  He  has,  I  believe,  some  boys  and  girls  of  about  your 
own  age.  You  will,  I  hope,  be  able  to  make  yourself  com- 
fortable there." 

"Thank  you,  uncle,"  Bob  said,  suppressing  his  impulse 
to  give  a  shout  of  satisfaction,  and  looking  as  grave  as  pos- 
sible.    "I  think  that  would  be  a  very  nice  arrangement." 

"Mr.  Medlin  is  a  very  trustworthy  person,"  Mr.  Bale 
went  on.  "  He  has  been  with  me  for  upwards  of  twenty 
years,  and  I  have  the  greatest  confidence  in  him.  You  had 
better  sit  down  here  and  take  a  book.  At  five  o'clock  come 
down  into  the  counting-house,  Mr.  Medlin  will  leave  at 
that  hour." 

Bob  had  hitherto  avoided  the  counting-house.  He  had 
occasionally  on  previous  visits  slipped  down  to  his  friend 


46  HELD    FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

the  foreman,  and  had  wandered  through  the  great  cellars 
and  watched  the  men  at  work  bottling,  and  gazed  in  sur- 
prise at  the  long  tiers  of  casks  stacked  up  to  the  roof  of  the 
cellar,  and  the  countless  bottles  stowed  away  in  the  bins. 
Once  or  twice  he  had  gone  down  into  the  counting-house 
with  his  uncle,  and  waited  there  a  few  minutes  until  the 
foreman  was  disengaged.  He  had  noticed  Mr.  Medlin  at 
work  at  his  high  desk  in  one  corner,  keeping,  as  it  seemed 
to  him,  his  eye  upon  two  young  clerks  who  sat  on  high 
stools  at  opposite  sides  of  the  desk  on  the  other  side  of  the 
office.  Mr.  Medlin  had  a  little  rail  round  the  top  of  his 
desk,  and  curtains  on  rods  that  could  be  drawn  round  it. 
He  was  a  man  of  six-  or  seven-and-thirty,  with  a  long  face 
smooth  shaven.  He  always  seemed  absorbed  in  his  work, 
and  when  spoken  to  by  Mr.  Bale,  answered  in  the  fewest 
possible  words  in  an  even,  mechanical  voice.  It  had  seemed 
to  Bob  that  he  had  been  entirely  oblivious  to  his  presence, 
and  it  did  not  appear  to  him  now,  as  he  sat  with  a  book 
before  him  waiting  for  the  clock  on  the  mantel  to  strike 
five,  that  existence  at  Mr.  Medlin's  promised  to  be  a  lively 
one.  Still,  as  there  were  boys  and  girls,  it  must  be  more 
amusing  than  it  would  be  at  his  uncle's,  and,  at  any  rate, 
the  clerk  would  not  be  so  formidable  a  personage  to  deal 
with  as  Mr.  Bale. 

At  one  minute  to  five  he  went  down,  so  as  to  open  the 
counting-house  door  as  the  clock  struck.  As  he  went  in 
through  the  outer  door  his  uncle  came  out  from  the  inner 
office. 

"Ah!  there  you  are,  Robert.  Mr.  Medlin,  this  is  my 
nephew,  who,  as  we  have  arranged,  will  take  up  his  residence 
with  you.  I  am  afraid  you  will  find  him  somewhat  head- 
strong and  troublesome.  I  have  already  informed  you  why 
it  has  been  necessary  to  remove  him  from  school.  However, 
I  trust  that  there  will  be  no  repetition  of  such  follies,  and 
that  he  will  see  the  necessity  of  abandoning  school-boy 
pranks  and  settling  down  to  business." 


A    GREAT    CHANGE.  47 

"Yes,  sir,"  Mr.  Medlin  replied,  seeing  that  his  employer 
expected  an  answer. 

Bob  had  noticed  that  although  the  clerk's  eyes  were 
directed  upon  him,  there  appeared  to  be  no  expression  of 
interest  or  curiosity  in  them,  but  that  they  might  as  well 
have  been  fixed  upon  a  blank  wall. 

"  Your  boxes  have  already  been  sent  round  in  the  cart  to 
Mr.  Medlin's,  Robert.  I  don't  know  that  there  is  anything 
else  to  say.  Mr.  Medlin  will,  of  course,  put  you  in  the  way 
of  your  duties  here,  but  if  you  have  anything  to  say  to  me, 
any  questions  to  ask,  or  any  remarks,  connected  with  the 
business  or  otherwise,  you  wish  to  make,  I  shall  always  be 
ready  to  listen  to  you  if  you  will  come  into  the  counting- 
house  at  half-past  four." 

So  saying  Mr.  Bale  retired  into  his  private  room  again. 
Mr.  Medlin  placed  his  papers  inside  his  desk,  locked  it,  took 
off  his  coat  and  hung  it  on  a  peg,  put  on  another  coat  and 
his  hat,  and  then  turned  to  Bob.     "Ready?  " 

"Quite  ready." 

Mr.  Medlin  led  the  way  out  of  the  counting-house,  and 
Bob  followed.  Mr.  Medlin  walked  fast,  and  Bob  had  to 
step  out  to  keep  up  with  him.  The  clerk  appeared  scarcely 
conscious  of  his  presence  until  they  were  beyond  the  more 
crowded  thoroughfare,  then  he  said : 

"Two  miles  out  Hackney  way.     Not  too  far?  " 

"Not  at  all,"  Bob  replied.     "The  farther  the  better." 

" No  burglars  there.  Wouldn't  pay."  And  Bob  thought 
that  the  shadow  of  a  smile  passed  across  his  face. 

"We  can  do  without  them,"  Bob  said. 

"Hate  coming  here,  I  suppose?  " 

"That  I  do,"  Bob  said  cordially. 

Mr.  Medlin  nodded.  "Not  so  bad  as  it  looks,"  he  said, 
and  then  walked  on  again  in  silence.  Presently  there  was 
a  break  in  the  houses.  They  were  getting  beyond  the  con- 
fines of  business  London. 

"Do  you  see  this  little  garden?  "  Mr.  Medlin  asked  sud- 


48  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

denly,  in  a  tone  so  unlike  that  in  which  he  had  before 
spoken  that  Bob  quite  started.  The  lad  looked  at  the  little 
patch  of  ground  with  some  stunted  shrubs,  but  could  see 
nothing  remarkable  in  it. 

"Yes,  I  see  it,  sir,"  he  said. 

"That,  Bob,"  Mr.  Medlin  went  on,  "for  I  suppose  you 
are  called  Bob,  marks  the  end  of  all  things." 

Bob  opened  his  eyes  in  astonishment,  and  again  examined 
the  little  garden. 

"It  marks,  Bob,  the  delimitation  between  London  and 
country,  between  slavery  and  freedom.  Here  every  morning 
I  leave  myself  behind,  here  every  evening  I  recover  myself, 
or  at  least  a  considerable  portion  of  myself;  at  a  further 
mark  half  a  mile  on,  I  am  completely  restored.  I  suppose 
you  used  to  find  just  the  same  thing  at  the  door  of  the 
school-room?  " 

"A  good  deal,  sir,"  Bob  said  in  a  much  brighter  tone 
than  he  had  used  since  he  said  good-bye  to  the  fellows  at 
Tulloch's. 

"  I  am  glad  you  feel  like  that.  I  expect  you  will  get  like 
that  as  to  the  city  in  time ;  but  mind,  lad,  you  must  always 
find  yourself  again.  You  stick  to  that.  You  make  a  mark 
somewhere,  leave  yourself  behind  in  the  morning,  and  pick 
yourself  up  again  when  you  come  back.  It  is  a  bad  thing  for 
those  who  forget  to  do  that.  They  might  as  well  hang  them- 
selves— better.  In  there,"  and  he  jerked  his  thumb  back 
over  his  shoulder,  "we  are  all  machines,  you  know.  It  isn't 
us,  not  a  bit  of  it.  There  is  just  the  flesh,  the  muscle,  the 
bones,  and  a  frozen  bit  of  our  brains,  the  rest  of  us  is  left  be- 
hind. If,  as  we  come  out,  we  forget  to  pick  it  up,  we  lose 
ourselves  altogether  before  long,  and  then  there  we  are, 
machines  to  the  end  of  our  lives.  You  remember  that, 
Bob.     Keep  it  always  in  mind." 

"It  is  a  pity  that  my  uncle  didn't  get  the  same  advice 
forty  years  ago,  Mr.  Medlin." 

"  It  is  a  pity  my  employer  did  not  marry.     It  is  a  pity 


A    GREAT    CHANGE.  49 

my  employer  lives  in  that  dull  house  in  that  dull  lane  all  by 
himself,"  Mr.  Medlin  said  angrily.  "But  he  has  not  got 
rid  of  himself  altogether.  He  is  a  good  deal  frozen  up,  but 
he  thaws  out  sometimes.  What  a  man  he  would  be  if  he 
would  but  live  out  somewhere,  and  pick  himself  up  regularly 
as  I  do  every  day !  This  is  my  second  mark,  Bob,  this  tree 
growing  out  in  the  road.  Now,  you  see,  we  are  pretty  well 
in  the  country.     Can  you  run?  " 

"Yes,  I  can  run  pretty  well,  Mr.  Medlin." 

"  Very  well,  Bob.  You  see  that  tree  growing  out  beyond 
that  garden  wall  about  four  hundred  yards  on.  It  is  four 
hundred  and  twenty,  for  I  have  measured  it.  Now,  then, 
you  walk  on  fifty  yards,  and  then  run  for  your  life.  See  if 
I  don't  catch  you  before  you  are  there." 

Bob,  wondering  as  he  went  along  at  the  astounding 
change  that  had  come  over  his  companion,  took  fifty  long 
steps,  then  he  heard  a  shout  of  "  Now !  "  and  went  off  at  the 
top  of  his  speed.  He  was  still  a  hundred  yards  from  the 
mark  when  he  heard  steps  coming  rapidly  up  behind  him, 
and  then  the  clerk  dashed  past  him  and  came  in  fully 
twenty  yards  ahead. 

"You  don't  run  badly,"  he  said  as  Bob  stopped,  panting. 
"  My  Jack  generally  comes  to  meet  me,  and  I  always  give 
him  seventy  yards,  and  only  beat  him  by  about  as  much  as 
I  do  you.  He  couldn't  come  this  afternoon.  He  is  busy 
helping  his  mother  to  get  things  straight.  I  expect  we  shall 
meet  him  presently.     Well,  what  are  you  laughing  at?  " 

"  I  was  just  thinking  how  astonished  my  uncle  would  be 
if  he  were  to  see  us." 

Mr.  Medlin  gave  a  hearty  laugh.  "Not  so  much  as  you 
would  think,  Bob.  Five  years  ago  my  employer  suddenly 
asked  me,  just  as  we  were  shutting  up  one  afternoon,  if  I 
was  fond  of  fishing.  I  said  that  I  used  to  be.  He  said,  '  I 
am  going  down  for  a  fortnight  into  Hampshire.  I  have  no 
one  to  go  with,  suppose  you  come  with  me.'  I  said,  'I  will.' 
He  said,  'Coach  to-morrow  morning,  eight  o'clock,  Black 


50  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

Horse  Yard. '  I  was  there.  As  we  went  over  London  Bridge 
I  found  myself  as  usual,  and  he  found  himself.  I  explained 
to  him  that  I  could  not  help  it.  He  said  he  didn't  want  me 
to  help  it.  We  had  a  glorious  fortnight  together,  and  we 
have  been  out  every  year  since.  He  never  alludes  to  it 
between  times,  no  more  do  I.  He  is  stiffer  than  usual  for 
a  bit,  so  am  I.  But  we  both  know  each  other.  You  do  not 
suppose  that  he  would  have  sent  you  to  me  if  he  hadn't 
known  that  I  have  got  another  side  to  me?  " 

"Well,  I  should  not  have  thought,"  Bob  said,  "from  the 
way  he  talked  when  he  introduced  me  to  you,  that  he  ever 
had  such  an  idea  in  his  mind." 

"He  was  obliged  to  talk  so,"  Mr.  Medlin  said  laughing. 
"We  were  just  machines  at  the  time,  both  of  us.  But  he 
talked  in  quite  a  different  way  when  we  were  down  fishing 
together  three  weeks  ago.  He  said  then  you  were  rather  a 
pickle,  and  that  he  didn't  think  you  would  do  yourself  any 
good  where  you  were,  so  that  he  was  going  to  bring  you  up 
to  business.  'I  don't  want  him  to  turn  out  a  dull  block- 
head,' he  said,  'and  so  I  propose  that  you  should  take 
charge  of  him,  and  teach  him  to  keep  himself  young.  I 
wish  I  had  done  it  myself. '  And  so  it  was  settled.  There  is 
no  better  employer  in  the  city  than  your  uncle.  There  is 
not  a  man  or  boy  about  the  place  who  isn't  well  paid  and 
contented.  I  used  to  think  myself  a  lucky  man  before  we 
went  out  fishing  together  for  the  first  time ;  but  six  months 
after  that  he  gave  me  a  rise  that  pretty  well  took  my  breath 
away.     Ah!  here  come  the  young  uns." 

A  couple  of  minutes  later  four  young  people  ran  up. 
There  was  a  boy  about  Bob's  age,  a  girl  a  year  younger,  a 
boy  and  another  girl  in  regular  steps.  They  greeted  their 
father  with  a  joyous  shout  of  welcome. 

"So  you  have  got  everything  done,"  he  said.  "  I  thought 
you  would  meet  me  somewhere  here.  This  is  Bob  Repton, 
my  employer's  nephew  and  future  member  of  the  firm. 
Treat  him  with  all  respect  and  handle  him  gently.     He  is  a 


A    GREAT    CHANGE.  51 

desperate  fellow  though  he  doesn't  look  it.  This  is  the 
young  gentleman  I  told  you  of,  who  made  a  night  expedi- 
tion and  captured  four  burglars." 

After  this  introduction  Bob  was  heartily  shaken  by  the 
hand  all  round,  and  the  party  proceeded  on  their  way,  the 
two  girls  holding  their  father's  hand,  the  boys  walking 
behind  with  Bob,  who  was  so  surprised  at  the  unexpected 
turn  affairs  had  taken,  that  for  a  time  he  almost  lost  his 
usual  readiness  of  speech. 


CHAPTER    III. 


AN   UNEXPECTED    JOURNEY. 


HAAVTHORNE  COTTAGE,  Mr.  Medlin's  abode,  was  a 
pretty  little  house  standing  detached  in  a  good-sized 
garden  surrounded  by  a  high  wall. 

"Here  we  are,  mother,"  the  clerk  said,  as  he  led  the  way 
into  a  cozy  room  where  tea  was  laid  upon  the  table,  while  a 
bright  fire  blazed  in  the  grate.  A  very  pleasant-faced  lady, 
who  did  not  look  to  Bob  more  than  thirty,  although  she 
must  have  been  four  or  five  years  older,  greeted  her  husband 
affectionately. 

"My  dear,"  he  said,  "in  the  exuberance  of  your  feelings 
you  forget  that  I  have  brought  you  home  a  visitor.  This 
is  Mr.  Robert  Repton.  While  he  is  resident  in  the  house  he 
may  be  greeted  as  Bob.  We  had  a  race,  and  he  runs  faster 
than  Jack;  fifty  yards  in  four  hundred  and  twenty  is  the 
utmost  I  can  give  him." 

"What  nonsense  you  do  talk,  Will,"  his  wife  said,  laugh- 
ing. "I  am  sure  Master  Repton  must  think  you  out  of 
your  mind." 

"It  is  a  very  jolly  way  of  being  out  of  his  mind,  Mrs. 
Medlin.     You  don't  know  how  pleased  I  am." 

"  He  thought  I  was  an  ogre,  my  dear,  and  that  you  were 
an  ogress.  Now  let  the  banquet  be  served ;  for  I  am  hungry, 
and  I  expect  Bob  is  too.  As  for  the  children,  they  are 
always  hungry;  at  least  it  seems  so." 

It  was  a  merry  meal,  and  Bob  thought  he  had  never  en- 
joyed one  as  much  except  at  his  sister's.     After  tea  they  had 


AN    UNEXPECTED    JOURNEY.  53 

music,  and  he  found  that  Mr.  Medlin  performed  admirably 
on  the  violin,  his  wife  played  the  spinet,  Jack  the  cla- 
rionet, and  Sophy,  the  eldest  girl,  the  piccolo. 

"She  is  going  to  learn  the  harp  presently,"  Mr.  Medlin 
explained;  "but  for  the  present,  when  we  have  no  visitors, 
and  I  don't  count  you  one  after  this  evening,  she  plays  the 
piccolo.  She  is  a  little  shy  about  it,  but  shyness  is  the  failing 
of  my  family." 

"  It  is  very  jolly, "  Bob  said.  "I  wish  I  could  play  an 
instrument." 

"  We  will  see  about  it  in  time,  Bob.  We  want  a  French 
horn,  but  I  don't  see  at  present  where  you  are  to  practise." 

"  Has  uncle  ever  been  here?  "  Bob  asked  late  in  the  even- 
ing. 

"Yes;  he  came  here  the  evening  we  got  back  from  our 
fishing  expedition.  He  wanted  to  see  the  place  before  he 
finally  settled  about  you  coming  here.  My  wife  was  a  little 
afraid  of  him;  but  there  was  no  occasion,  and  everything 
went  off  capitally,  except  that  Sophy  would  not  produce  her 
piccolo.  I  walked  back  with  him  till  he  came  upon  a  hackney 
coach.  He  said  as  he  got  in,  'I  have  spent  a  most  pleasant 
evening,  Medlin.  You  are  a  very  lucky  fellow.'  I  went 
back  to  work  the  next  morning,  and  we  both  dropt  into  the 
old  groove,  and  nothing  more  was  said  until  yesterday, 
when  he  informed  me  that  you  would  come  to-day." 

"  Oh,  dear !  "  Bob  said,  as  he  started  with  the  clerk  at  eight 
o'clock  on  the  following  morning.  "Now  I  am  going  to 
begin  at  that  wretched  counting-house." 

"No,  you  are  not,  Bob.  You  are  not  coming  in  there  at 
present.  When  your  uncle  and  I  were  talking — when  we 
were  fishing,  you  know — he  said  that  he  saw  no  use  in  your 
going  in  there  at  present,  and  thought  it  would  be  quite 
time  for  you  to  learn  how  the  books  are  kept  in  another 
three  or  four  years,  and  that  till  then  you  could  go  into 
the  cellar.  You  will  learn  bottling,  and  packing,  and  blend- 
ing, and  something  about  the  quality  and  value  of  wines. 


54  HELD    FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

You  will  find  it  much  more  pleasant  than  being  shut  up  in 
a  counting-house  making  out  bills  and  keeping  ledgers." 

"A  great  deal,"  Bob  said  joyfully.  "  I  sha'n't  mind  that 
at  all." 

Bob  observed  a  noticeable  change  in  his  companion's  de- 
meanour when  he  arrived  at  the  tree,  and  on  passing  the 
last  garden  his  face  assumed  a  stolid  expression,  his  brisk 
springy  walk  settled  down  into  a  business  pace,  his  words 
became  few,  and  he  was  again  a  steady  and  mechanical  clerk. 

A  fortnight  later  Bob  was  summoned  to  the  counting- 
house. 

"Mr.  Bale  wishes  to  see  you,"  Mr.  Medlin  said.-  Bob 
entered,  wondering  what  he  was  wanted  for. 

"  I  received  a  subpoena  a  week  ago,  Robert,  for  you  to 
attend  as  a  witness  at  Kingston  to-morrow.  These  inter- 
ruptions to  business  are  very  annoying.  I  did  not  mention 
it  to  you  before,  for  if  I  had  done  so,  you  would  be  thinking 
of  nothing  else.  This  morning  I  have  received  a  letter 
from  Admiral  Langton  requesting  me  to  allow  you  to  go 
down  by  the  stage  this  afternoon  and  to  sleep  at  his  house. 
He  will  take  you  over  in  the  morning,  and  you  will  sleep 
there  again  to-morrow  night,  and  come  back  by  the  early 
stage.  I  trust  that  you  will  endeavour  to  curb  your  exu- 
berance of  spirits.  This  is  a  very  grave  matter,  and  anything 
like  levity  would  be  altogether  out  of  place.  The  letter 
says  that  the  stage  leaves  the  Bell  Tavern  at  four  o'clock." 

Bob  replied  gravely  that  he  would  be  there  in  time,  and 
went  off  to  his  work  again  until  twelve  o'clock. 

When  he  arrived  at  the  admiral's  at  a  quarter  to  six  a  lad 
in  midshipman's  uniform  came  rushing  out  into  the  hall. 

"  Hulloa,  Bob  !  " 

"Why,  Jim  ! — but  no,  I  suppose  I  ought  to  say,  Mr.  James 
Sankey  to  an  officer  of  your  importance.  How  comes  it, 
sir,  that  you  are  so  soon  attired  in  His  Majesty's  uniform?  " 

"  I  will  punch  your  head,  Bob,  if  you  go  on  with  that 
nonsense.     But  I  say,  isn't  it  jolly?     The  very  afternoon 


AN   UNEXPECTED    JOURNEY.  55 

after  you  left  came  down  a  big  letter  with  a  tremendous  seal, 
and  therein  I  was  informed  that  I  was  appointed  to  His 
Majesty's  ship  Brilliant,  and  was  ordered  to  join  immedi- 
ately. Of  course  I  did  not  know  what  to  do,  so  I  came  up 
here,  and  who  do  you  think  I  found  here? — Captain  Lang- 
ton,  the  admiral's  son,  who  is  in  command  of  the  Brilliant. 
Of  course  it  was  he  who  had  got  me  the  appointment.  He 
was  very  kind,  and  told  me  that  I  could  not  join  until  after 
this  trial,  so  that  I  could  go  down  home  and  stop  there  till 
to-day;  and  the  admiral  sent  me  straight  off  to  be  measured 
for  my  uniform.  When  I  started  next  day  he  gave  me  a 
letter  to  my  father,  an  awfully  nice  letter  it  was,  saying  that 
he  intended  to  present  me  with  my  first  outfit.  I  got  here 
about  an  hour  ago,  and  have  been  putting  on  my  uniform 
to  see  how  it  fitted." 

"You  mean  to  see  how  you  looked  in  it,  Jim?  It  looks 
first-rate.  I  wish  I  was  in  one  too,  and  was  going  with  you 
instead  of  sticking  to  Philpot  Lane." 

"I  am  awfully  sorry  for  you,  Bob.      It  must  be  beastly." 

"Well,  it  is  not  so  bad  as  I  expected,  Jim;  and  uncle  is 
turning  out  much  better;  and  I  don't  live  there,  but  with 
the  head  clerk  out  at  Hackney.  He  is  an  awfully  jolly  sort 
of  fellow;  you  never  saw  such  a  rum  chap.  I  will  tell  you 
all  about  it  afterwards.  I  suppose  I  ought  to  go  in  and  see 
the  admiral." 

"He  is  out  at  present,  Bob.  He  will  be  back  at  eight 
o'clock  to  supper,  so  you  can  come  up  and  tell  me  all  about 
it.      Captain  Langton  is  here  too." 

Captain  Langton  spoke  very  kindly  to  Bob  when  the  two 
boys  came  down  to  supper,  and  told  him  that  if  at  any  time 
he  changed  his  mind,  and  there  was  a  vacancy  for  a  mid- 
shipman on  board  his  ship,  he  would  give  him  the  berth.  "  I 
should  be  very  glad  to  have  you  with  me,"  he  said,  "after 
the  service  you  rendered  my  father  and  sister." 

On  the  following  morning  Fullarton  and  Wharton  came 
up  from  the  school,  and  two  carriages  conveyed  the  witnesses 


56  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

over  to  Kingston.  The  prisoners,  Bob  heard,  were  notorious 
and  desperate  criminals,  whom  the  authorities  had  long 
been  anxious  to  lay  hands  on.  The  butler  was  one  of  the 
gang,  and  had  obtained  his  post  by  means  of  a  forged  char- 
acter. The  trial  only  occupied  two  hours,  for,  taken  in  the 
act  as  the  men  were,  there  was  no  defence  whatever.  All 
four  were  sentenced  to  be  hung,  and  the  judge  warmly  com- 
plimented the  four  boys  upon  their  conduct  in  the  matter. 
The  next  morning  Bob  returned  to  his  work  in  the  city. 

For  the  next  three  months  his  existence  was  a  regular 
one.  On  arriving  in  the  cellar  he  took  off  his  jacket  and 
put  on  a  large  apron  that  completely  covered  him,  and  from 
that  time  until  five  o'clock  he  worked  with  the  other  boys 
bottling,  packing,  storing  the  bottles  away  in  the  bins,  or 
taking  them  down  as  required.  He  learned  from  the  fore- 
man something  of  the  localities  from  which  the  wine  came, 
their  value  and  prices,  but  had  not  begun  to  distinguish  them 
by  taste  or  bouquet.  Mr.  Bale,  the  foreman  said,  had  given 
strict  orders  that  he  was  not  to  begin  tasting  at  present. 
Three  days  before  Christmas  one  of  the  clerks  brought  him 
down  word  that  Mr.  Bale  wished  to  see  him  in  the  office  at 
five  o'clock. 

During  the  three  months  he  had  scarcely  spoken  to  his 
uncle.  The  latter  had  nodded  to  him  whenever  he  came 
into  the  cellar,  and  had  regularly  said,  "Well,  Robert,  how 
are  you  getting  on?  "  to  which  he  had  as  regularly  replied, 
"Very  well,  uncle."  He  supposed  that  the  present  meeting 
was  for  the  purpose  of  inviting  him  to  dine  at  Philpot  Lane 
on  Christmas-day,  and  although  he  knew  that  he  should 
enjoy  the  festivity  more  at  Hackney,  he  was  prepared  to 
accept  it  very  willingly. 

"I  have  sent  for  you,  Robert,"  Mr.  Bale  said,  when  he 
entered  his  office,  "  to  say  that  your  sister  has  written  to 
ask  me  to  go  down  to  spend  Christmas  with  her  at  Ports- 
mouth. As  her  husband's  regiment  is  on  the  point  of  going 
abroad,  I  have  decided  on  accepting  her  invitation,  and  for 


AN  UNEXPECTED  JOURNEY.  57 

the  same  reason  I  shall  take  you  down  with  me.  You  will 
therefore  have  your  box  packed  to-night.  I  shall  send  down 
a  cart  to  fetch  it  to-morrow.  You  will  sleep  here  to-morrow 
night,  and  we  start  the  next  morning." 

"Thank  you  very  much,  uncle,"  Bob  said  in  delight;  and 
then  seeing  that  nothing  further  was  expected  of  him  he 
ran  off  to  join  Mr.  Medlin,  who  was  waiting  for  him  outside. 

"What  do  you  think,  Mr.  Medlin?  I  am  going  down  to 
spend  Christmas  at  my  sister's." 

"Ah!"  the  clerk  said  in  a  dull  unsympathetic  voice. 
"Well,  mind  how  you  walk,  Mr.  Robert.  It  does  not  look 
well  coming  out  from  a  place  of  business  as  if  you  were 
rushing  out  of  school. " 

Bob  knew  well  enough  that  it  was  no  use  whatever  try- 
ing to  get  his  companion  to  take  any  interest  in  matters 
unconnected  with  business  at  present,  so  he  dropped  into  his 
regular  pace,  and  did  not  open  his  lips  again  until  they  had 
passed  the  usual  boundary. 

Then  Mr.  Medlin  said  briskly,  "So  you  are  going  down 
to  your  sister's,  Bob?  " 

"Yes;  that  will  be  first-rate,  won't  it?  Of  course  I  went 
down  in  the  summer  to  Canterbury  and  hardly  expected  to 
go  again  this  year.  As  I  have  only  been  three  months  here, 
I  did  not  even  think  of  going.  It  will  be  the  last  holiday  I 
shall  have  for  some  time.  You  know  Carrie  said  when  she 
wrote  to  me  a  month  ago  that  the  regiment  expected  to  be 
ordered  abroad  soon,  and  uncle  said  it  is  on  the  point  of 
going  now.  He  is  coming  down  with  me."  His  voice  fell 
a  little  at  this  part  of  the  announcement. 

"  He  is,  eh?  You  think  you  will  have  to  be  on  your  best 
behaviour,  Bob?  " 

"  Before  you  told  me  about  him,  Mr.  Medlin,  I  should 
have  thought  it  would  quite  spoil  the  holiday.  But  I  do 
not  feel  it  so  bad  now." 

"He  will  be  all  right,  Bob.  You  have  never  seen  him 
outside  the  city  yet.     Still,  I  shouldn't  be  up  to  any  tricks 


58  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

with  him,  you  know,  if  I  were  you — shouldn't  put  cobbler's 
wax  on  his  pigtail,  or  anything  of  that  sort." 

"As  if  I  should  think  of  such  a  thing,  Mr.  Medlin!  " 

"Well,  I  don't  know,  Bob.  You  have  made  Jack  pretty 
nearly  as  wild  as  you  are  yourself.  You  are  quite  a  scandal 
to  the  neighbourhood,  you  two.  You  nearly  frightened  those 
two  ladies  next  door  into  fits  last  week  by  carrying  in  that 
snow  man  and  sticking  it  up  in  their  garden  when  you  knew 
they  were  out.  I  thought  they  were  both  going  to  have 
fits  when  they  rushed  in  to  tell  me  there  was  a  ghost  in 
their  garden." 

"I  believe  you  suggested  it  yourself,  Mr.  Medlin,"  Bob 
said  indignantly.  "  Besides,  it  served  them  right  for  com- 
ing in  to  complain  that  we  had  thrown  stones  and  broken 
their  window  when  we  had  done  nothing  of  the  sort." 

"  It  was  rather  lucky  for  you  that  they  did  so,  Bob ;  for  you 
see  we  were  all  so  indignant  then  that  they  didn't  venture 
to  accuse  you  of  the  snow-man  business,  though  I  have  no 
doubt  they  were  convinced  in  their  own  minds  that  it  was 
you.  But  that  is  only  one  out  of  twenty  pranks  that  you 
and  Jack  have  been  up  to." 

"Jack  and  I  and  someone  else,  Mr.  Medlin.  We  carry 
them  out,  but  I  think  someone  else  always  suggests  them." 

"Not  suggest,  Bob;  far  from  it.  If  I  happen  to  say  that 
it  would  be  a  most  reprehensible  thing  if  anyone  were  to 
do  something,  somehow  or  other  that  is  the  very  thing 
that  Jack  and  you  do.  It  was  only  last  week  I  said  that  it 
would  be  a  very  objectionable  trick  if  anyone  was  to  tie 
paper  bands  round  the  neck  of  the  clergyman's  black  cat 
who  is  always  stealing  our  chickens,  and  to  my  surprise  the 
next  morning  when  we  started  for  business  there  was  quite 
a  crowd  outside  his  house  watching  the  cat  calmly  sitting 
over  the  porch  with  white  bands  round  its  neck.  Now, 
that  is  an  example  of  what  I  mean." 

"Quite  so,  Mr.  Medlin,  that  is  just  what  I  meant  too; 
and  it  was  much  better  than  throwing  stones  at  him.     It  is 


AN    UNEXPECTED    JOURNEY.  59 

a  savage  beast  though  it  does  look  so  demure,  and  scratched 
Jack's  hand  and  mine  horribly  when  we  were  tying  on  the 
bands." 

At  the  tree  the  others  met  them,  and  they  laughed  and 
chatted  all  the  way  back,  the  young  ones  expressing  much 
regret,  however,  that  Bob  was  to  be  away  at  Christmas. 

At  the  appointed  time  Mr.  Bale  and  Bob  took  their  places 
on  the  coach.  The  latter  felt  a  little  oppressed,  for  his  uncle 
had  the  evening  before  been  putting  him  through  a  sort  of 
examination  as  to  the  value  of  wines,  and  had  been  exceed- 
ingly severe  when  Bob  had  not  acquitted  himself  to  his 
satisfaction,  but  had  mixed  up  Malaga  with  Madeira  and 
had  stated  that  a  French  wine  was  grown  near  Cadiz. 

"  I  expect  I  shall  know  them  better  when  I  get  to  taste 
them,"  Bob  had  urged  in  excuse.  "When  you  don't  know 
anything  about  the  wines  it  is  very  difficult  to  take  an  in- 
terest in  them.  It  is  like  learning  that  a  town  in  India  is 
on  the  Ganges.  You  don't  care  anything  about  the  town, 
and  you  don't  care  anything  about  the  Ganges,  and  you  are 
sure  to  mix  it  up  next  time  with  some  other  town  on  some 
other  river." 

"If  those  are  your  ideas,  Robert,  I  think  you  had  better 
go  to  bed,"  Mr.  Bale  had  said  sternly;  and  Bob  had  gone  to 
bed,  and  had  thought  what  a  nuisance  it  was  that  his  uncle 
was  going  down  to  Portsmouth  just  when  he  wanted  to  be 
jolly  with  Carrie  and  her  husband  for  the  last  time. 

Little  had  been  said  at  breakfast,  and  it  was  not  until 
the  coach  was  rattling  along  the  high-road  and  the  last  house 
had  been  left  behind  him  that  Bob's  spirits  began  to  rise. 
There  had  been  a  thaw  a  few  days  before,  and  the  snow  had 
disappeared,  but  it  was  now  freezing  sharply  again. 

"The  air  is  brisk.  Do  you  feel  it  cold,  Robert?"  Mr. 
Bale  said,  breaking  silence  for  the  first  time. 

"  I  feel  cold  about  the  toes  and  about  the  ears  and  nose, 
uncle,"  Bob  said,  "  but  I  am  not  very  likely  to  feel  cold  any- 
where else." 


60  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

His  uncle  looked  down  at  the  boy,  who  was  wedged  in 
between  him  and  a  stout  woman.  "Well,  no,"  he  agreed; 
"you  are  pretty  closely  packed.  You  had  better  pull  that 
muffler  over  your  ears  more.  It  was  rather  different  weather 
when  you  went  down  to  Canterbury  in  the  summer." 

"That  it  was,"  Bob  replied  heartily.  "It  was  hot  and 
dusty  just,  and  there  were  a  man  and  woman  sitting  opposite 
who  kept  on  drinking  out  of  a  bottle  every  five  minutes. 
She  had  a  baby  with  her  too,  who  screamed  almost  all  the 
way.     I  consider  I  saved  that  baby's  life." 

"How  was  that,  Robert?" 

"Well,  you  see,  uncle,  they  had  finished  their  bottle  -by 
the  time  we  got  to  Sevenoaks,  and  we  all  got  down  for  dinner 
there,  and  before  we  sat  down  the  man  went  to  the  bar  and 
got  it  filled  up  again.  A  pint  of  gin  filled  up  with  water;  I 
heard  him  order  it.  He  put  it  in  the  pocket  of  his  coat, 
and  hung  the  coat  up  on  a  peg  when  he  sat  down  to  dinner. 
I  was  not  long  over  my  dinner,  and  finished  before  they 
did,  and  I  took  the  bottle  out  and  ran  out  to  the  yard  and 
emptied  it,  and  filled  it  up  with  water,  and  put  it  back  in 
the  pocket  again  without  his  noticing  it.  You  should  have 
seen  what  a  rage  he  was  in  when  he  took  his  first  sip  from  the 
bottle  after  we  had  started.  He  thought  the  man  at  the  inn 
had  played  him  a  trick,  and  he  stood  up  and  shouted  to  the 
coachman  to  turn  back  again;  but  of  course  he  wasn't  going 
to  do  that,  and  every  one  laughed  except  the  woman.  I 
think  she  had  had  more  than  was  good  for  her  already,  and 
she  cried  for  about  an  hour.  The  next  two  places  where 
we  changed  horses  we  did  it  so  quick  that  the  man  hadn't 
time  to  get  down.  The  third  place  he  did,  and,  though  the 
guard  said  we  shouldn't  stop  a  minute,  he  went  into  the 
public-house.  The  guard  shouted,  but  he  didn't  come  out, 
and  off  we  went  without  him.  Then  he  came  out  running, 
and  waving  his  arms,  but  the  coachman  wouldn't  stop;  the 
woman  got  down  with  the  child  at  the  next  place  we 
changed  horses,  and  I  suppose  they  went  on  next  day;  and 


AN    UNEXPECTED    JOURNEY.  61 

if  they  started  sober  they  did  perhaps  get  to  Dover  all 
right." 

"That  was  a  very  nasty  trick,"  the  woman  who  was  sitting 
next  to  Bob  said  sharply. 

Bob  had  noticed  that  she  had  already  opened  a  basket  on 
her  lap,  and  had  partaken  of  liquid  refreshment. 

"But,  you  see,  I  saved  the  baby,  ma'am,"  Bob  said 
humbly.  "The  woman  was  sitting  at  the  end,  and  if  she 
had  taken  her  share  of  the  second  bottle  the  chances  are  she 
would  have  dropped  the  baby.  It  was  a  question  of  saving 
life,  you  see." 

Bob  felt  a  sudden  convulsion  in  his  uncle's  figure. 

"  It  is  all  very  well  to  talk  in  that  way,"  the  woman  said 
angrily.  "  It  was  just  a  piece  of  impudence,  and  you  ought 
to  have  been  flogged  for  it.  I  have  no  patience  with  such 
imperentdoings.     A-wasting  of  good  liquor  too." 

"I  don't  think,  madam,"  Mr.  Bale  said,  "it  was  as  much 
wasted  as  it  would  have  been  had  they  swallowed  it,  for  at 
least  it  did  no  harm.  I  cannot  see  myself  why,  because 
people  get  outside  a  coach  they  should  consider  it  necessary 
to  turn  themselves  into  hogs." 

"  I  will  trouble  you  to  keep  your  insinuations  to  yourself," 
the  woman  said  in  great  indignation.  "You  ought  to  be 
ashamed  of  yourself  at  your  age  encouraging  a  boy  in  such 
ways.  There  is  them  as  can  stand  the  cold  and  there's 
them  as  can't,  and  a  little  good  liquor  helps  them  wonder- 
ful. I  am  sich  myself."  And  she  defiantly  took  out  her 
bottle  from  her  basket  and  applied  it  to  her  lips. 

"I  was  not  speaking  personally,  my  good  woman,"  Mr. 
Bale  said. 

"I  would  have  you  to  know,"  the  woman  snapped,  "that 
I  ain't  your  good  woman.  I  wouldn't  demean  myself  to  the 
like.  I  will  ask  this  company  if  it  is  right  as  a  unprotected 
female  should  be  insulted  on  the  outside  of  one  of  His  Ma- 
jesty's mails?  " 

The  other  passengers,  who  had  been  struggling  with  their 


62  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

laughter,  endeavoured  to  pacify  her  with  the  assurance  that 
no  insult  had  been  meant;  and  as  Mr.  Bale  made  no  reply, 
she  subsided  into  silence,  grumbling  occasionally  to  herself. 

"I  am  a-going  down,"  she  broke  out  presently,  "to  meet 
my  husband,  and  I  don't  mind  who  knows  it.  He  is  a 
warrant  officer,  he  is,  on  board  the  Latona,  as  came  in  last 
week  with  two  prizes.  There  ain't  nothing  to  be  ashamed 
of  in  that.  And  I  will  thank  you,  boy,"  she  said,  turning 
sharply  upon  Bob,  "  not  to  be  a-scrouging  me  so.  I  pay 
for  my  place,  I  do." 

"I  think  you  ought  to  pay  for  two  places,"  Bob  said. 
"  I  am  sure  you  have  got  twice  as  much  room  as  I  have. 
And  if  there  is  any  scrouging,  it  isn't  me." 

"Would  you  have  any  objection,  sir,"  the  woman  said 
majestically  to  a  man  sitting  on  the  other  side  of  her,  "to 
change  places  with  me?  I  ain't  a-going  to  bear  no  longer 
with  the  insults  of  this  boy  and  of  the  person  as  calls  him- 
self a  man  a-sitting  next  to  him." 

The  change  was  effected,  to  Bob's  great  satisfaction. 

"You  see,  Robert,  what  you  have  brought  down  upon 
me,"  Mr.  Bale  said.  "This  comes  of  your  telling  stories 
about  bottles  when  there  is  a  woman  with  one  in  her  basket 
next  to  you." 

"I  really  was  not  thinking  of  her  when  I  spoke,  uncle. 
But  I  am  glad  now,  for  I  really  could  hardly  breathe  before. 
Why,  uncle,  I  had  no  idea  you  smoked!  "  he  added,  as  Mr. 
Bale  took  a  cigar-case  from  his  pocket. 

"I  do  not  smoke  when  I  am  in  the  city,  Robert;  but  I 
see  no  harm  in  a  cigar,  in  fact  I  like  one,  at  other  times. 
I  observed  a  long  pipe  on  the  mantel-piece  at  Mr.  Medlin's, 
and  indeed  I  have  seen  that  gentleman  smoke  when  we 
have  been  out  together,  but  I  have  never  observed  him  in- 
dulging in  that  habit  in  the  city." 

"Oh,  yes!  he  smokes  at  home,"  Bob  said. 

"  I  have  great  confidence  in  Mr.  Medlin,  Robert.  You 
have  been  comfortable  with  him,  I  hope?" 


AN   UNEXPECTED    JOURNEY.  63 

"Could  not  be  more  comfortable,  sir." 

"An  excellent  man  of  business,  Robert,  and  most  trust- 
worthy. A  serious-minded  man."  Bob  was  looking  up,  and 
saw  a  little  twinkle  in  Mr.  Bale's  eye.  "You  don't  find  it 
dull,  I  hope?  " 

"  Not  at  all  dull,  sir.  Mr.  Medlin  and  his  family  are  very 
musical." 

"Musical,  are  they,  Robert?  "  Mr.  Bale  said  in  a  tone  of 
surprise.  "As  far  as  I  have  seen  in  the  counting-house  I 
should  not  have  taken  him  to  be  musical." 

"No;  I  don't  think  you  would,  uncle.  Just  the  same 
way  as  one  wouldn't  think  it  likely  that  you  would  smoke 
a  cigar." 

"  Well,  no,  Robert.  You  see  one  must  not  always  go  by 
appearances." 

"No,  sir;  that  is  just  what  Mr.  Medlin  says,"  Bob  replied 
smiling. 

"  Oh,  he  says  that,  does  he  ?  I  suppose  he  has  been  telling 
you  that  we  go  out  fishing  together?  " 

"He  did  mention  that,  sir." 

"You  must  not  always  believe  what  Medlin  says,  Robert." 

"No,  sir?  I  thought  you  told  me  he  was  perfectly  trust- 
worthy?" 

"In  some  points,  boy;  but  it  is  notorious  that  from  all 
times  the  narratives  of  fishermen  must  be  received  with  a 
large  amount  of  caution.  The  man  who  can  be  trusted 
with  untold  gold  cannot  be  relied  upon  to  give  with  even 
an  approach  to  accuracy  the  weights  of  the  fish  he  has  caught, 
and  indeed  all  his  statements  with  reference  to  the  pursuit 
must  be  taken  with  a  large  discount.  You  were  surprised 
when  you  heard  that  I  went  fishing,  Robert?  " 

"Not  more  surprised  than  I  was  when  you  lit  your  cigar, 
sir." 

"Well,  you  know  what  Horace  said,  Robert.  I  forget 
what  it  was  in  the  Latin,  but  it  meant,  'He  is  a  poor  soul 
who  never  rejoices.'     The  bow  must  be  relaxed,  Robert,  or 


64  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

it  loses  its  stiffness  and  spring.  I  myself  always  bear  this 
in  mind,  and  endeavour  to  forget  that  there  is  such  a  place 
as  the  city  of  London,  or  a  place  of  business  called  Philpot 
Lane,  directly  I  get  away  from  it." 

"Don't  you  think  that  you  could  forget,  too,  uncle,  that 
the  name  I  am  known  by  in  the  city  is  Robert,  and  that  my 
name  at  all  other  times  is  Bob?  " 

"  I  will  try  to  do  so,  if  you  make  a  point  of  it,"  Mr.  Bale 
said  gravely;  "but  at  the  same  time  it  appears  to  me  that 
Bob  is  a  name  for  a  short-tailed  sheep-dog  rather  than  for  a 
boy." 

"I  don't  mind  who  else  is  called  by  it,  uncle.  Besides, 
sheep-dogs  are  very  useful  animals." 

"They  differ  from  boys  in  one  marked  respect,  Bob." 

"What  is  that,  uncle?  " 

"They  always  attend  strictly  to  business,  lad.  They  are 
most  conscientious  workers.  Now  this  is  more  than  can  be 
said  for  boys." 

"But  I  don't  suppose  the  sheep-dogs  do  much  while  they 
are  puppies,  uncle." 

"  Humph  !  I  think  you  have  me  there,  Bob.  I  suppose  we 
must  make  allowances  for  them  both.  Well,  we  shall  be  at 
Guildford  in  half  an  hour,  and  will  stop  there  for  dinner. 
I  shall  not  be  sorry  to  get  down  to  stamp  my  feet  a  bit;  it 
is  very  cold  here,  in  spite  of  these  rugs." 

It  was  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  when  the  coach  drew 
up  at  the  George  Hotel  in  Portsmouth.  Captain  O'LIalloran 
was  at  the  door  to  meet  them. 

"Well,  Mr.  Bale,  you  have  had  a  coldish  drive  down 
to-day.     How  are  you,  Bob?" 

"At  present  I  am  cold,"  Bob  said.  "The  last  two  hours 
have  been  bitter." 

"  I  have  taken  bed-rooms  here  for  you,  Mr.  Bale.  There 
is  no  barrack  accommodation  at  present,  for  everyone  is 
back  from  leave.  Any  other  time  we  could  have  put  you  up. 
Now,  if  you  will  point  out  your  baggage  my  man  will  see  it 


AN    UNEXPECTED    JOURNEY.  65 

taken  up  to  your  rooms,  and  you  can  come  straight  on  to  me. 
Carrie  has  got  supper  ready,  and  a  big  fire  blazing.  It  is  not 
three  minutes'  walk  from  here." 

They  were  soon  seated  at  table,  and  after  the  meal  was 
over  they  drew  round  the  fire. 

"  So  you  have  really  become  a  man  of  business,  Bob,"  his 
sister  said.  "  I  was  very  glad  to  hear  from  your  letter  that 
you  liked  it  better  than  you  expected." 

"But  it  will  be  a  long  while  yet  before  he  is  a  man  of 
business,  niece.  It  is  like  having  a  monkey  in  a  china  shop. 
The  other  day  I  went  down  to  the  cellar  just  in  time  to  see 
him  put  down  a  bottle  so  carelessly  that  it  tumbled  over. 
Unfortunately  there  was  a  row  of  them  he  had  just  filled, 
and  a  dozen  went  down  like  nine-pins.  The  corks  had  not 
been  put  in,  and  half  the  contents  were  lost  before  they 
could  be  righted.  And  the  wine  was  worth  eighty  shillings  a 
dozen." 

"And  what  can  you  expect  of  him,  Mr.  Bale?"  Gerald 
O'Halloran  said.  "Is  it  a  spalpeen  like  that  you  would 
trust  with  the  handling  of  good  wine  ?  I  would  as  soon  set 
a  cat  to  bottle  milk." 

"He  is  young  for  it  yet,"  Mr.  Bale  agreed.  "But  when 
a  boy  amuses  himself  by  breaking  out  of  school  at  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning  and  fighting  burglars,  what  are  you 
to  do  with  him?  " 

"I  should  give  him  a  medal  for  his  pluck,  Mr.  Bale,  and 
let  him  do  something  where  he  would  have  a  chance  of 
showing  his  spirit." 

"And  make  him  as  wild  and  harum-scarum  as  you  are 
yourself,  O'Halloran,  and  then  expect  him  to  turn  out  a 
respectable  merchant  afterwards?  I  am  sure  I  don't  wish 
to  be  troubled  with  him  till  he  has  got  rid  of  what  you  call 
his  spirits;  but  what  are  you  to  do  with  such  a  pickle  as  this? 
There  have  been  more  bottles  broken  since  he  came  than 
there  ordinarily  are  in  the  course  of  a  year;  and  I  suspect 
him  of  corrupting  my  chief  clerk,  and  am  in  mortal  appre- 


66  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

hension  that  he  will  be  getting  into  some  scrape  at  Hackney 
and  make  the  place  too  hot  for  him.  I  never  gave  you 
credit  for  much  brains,  Carrie,  but  how  it  was  you  let  your 
brother  grow  up  like  this  is  more  than  I  can  tell." 

Although  this  all  sounded  serious,  Bob  did  not  feel  at  all 
alarmed.  Carrie,  however,  thought  that  her  uncle  was 
greatly  vexed,  and  tried  to  take  up  the  cudgels  in  his  defence. 

"I  am  sure  Bob  does  not  mean  any  harm,  uncle." 

"I  did  not  say  that  he  did,  niece;  but  if  he  does  harm  it 
comes  to  the  same  thing.  Well,  we  need  not  talk  about 
that  now.  So  I  hear  that  you  are  going  out  to  the  Mediter- 
ranean?" 

"Yes,  uncle;  to  Gibraltar.  It  is  a  nice  station  everyone 
says,  and  I  am  very  pleased.  There  are  so  many  places 
where  there  is  fighting  going  on  now  that  I  think  we  are 
most  fortunate  in  going  there.  I  was  so  afraid  the  regi- 
ment might  be  sent  either  to  America  or  India." 

"And  I  suppose  you  would  rather  have  gone  where  there 
was  fighting,  O'Halloran?" 

"I  would,"  the  officer  said  promptly.  "What  is  the  use 
of  your  going  into  the  army  if  you  don't  fight?  " 

"  I  should  say,  What  is  the  use  of  going  into  the  army  at 
all?"  Mr.  Bale  said  testily.  "Still,  I  suppose  someone 
must  go." 

"I  suppose  so,  sir,"  Captain  O'Halloran  said,  laughing. 
"  If  it  were  not  for  the  army  and  navy,  I  fancy  you  trading 
gentlemen  would  very  soon  find  the  difference.  Besides, 
there  are  some  of  us  born  to  it.  I  should  never  have 
made  a  figure  in  the  city,  for  instance." 

"I  fancy  not,"  Mr.  Bale  said  dryly.  "You  will  under- 
stand, O'Halloran,  that  I  am  not  objecting  in  the  slightest 
to  your  being  in  the  army.  My  objection  solely  lies  in  the 
fact  that  you,  being  in  the  army,  should  have  married  my 
niece,  and  that  instead  of  coming  to  keep  house  for  me  com- 
fortably, she  is  going  to  wander  about  with  you  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth." 


AN    UNEXPECTED    JOURNEY.  67 

Carrie  laughed.  "  How  do  you  know  someone  else  would 
not  have  snapped  me  up  if  he  hadn't,  uncle?  " 

"That  is  right,  Carrie.  You  would  have  found  her  twice 
as  difficult  to  manage  as  Bob,  Mr.  Bale.  You  would  never 
have  kept  her  in  Philpot  Lane  if  I  hadn't  taken  her.  There 
are  some  people  can  be  tamed  down,  and  there  are  some 
who  can't,  and  Carrie  is  one  of  the  latter.  I  should  pity 
you  from  my  heart  if  you  had  her  on  your  hands,  Mr.  Bale. 
If  ever  I  get  to  be  a  colonel,  it  is  she  will  command  the 
regiment." 

"Well,  it  is  good  that  one  of  us  should  have  sense, 
Gerald, "  his  wife  said,  laughing.  "  And  now  you  had  better 
put  the  whisky  on  the  table,  unless  uncle  would  prefer  some 
mulled  port  wine." 

"Neither  one  nor  the  other,  my  dear.  Your  brother  is 
half  asleep  now,  and  it  is  as  much  as  I  can  do  to  keep  my 
eyes  open.  After  the  cold  ride  we  have  had,  the  sooner  we 
get  back  to  the  'George'  the  better.  We  will  breakfast  there, 
Carrie.  I  don't  know  what  your  hours  are,  but  when  I  am 
away  on  a  holiday  I  always  give  myself  a  little  extra  sleep. 
Besides,  your  husband  will,  I  suppose,  have  to  be  on  duty; 
and  I  have  no  doubt  it  will  suit  you  as  well  as  me,  for  us  to 
breakfast  at  the  'George.'  " 

"Perhaps  it  will  be  better,  uncle,  if  you  don't  mind. 
Gerald  happens  to  be  orderly  officer  for  the  day,  and  will 
have  to  get  his  breakfast  as  he  can,  and  will  be  busy  all  the 
morning;  but  I  shall  be  ready  for  you  by  ten." 

At  that  hour  Bob  appeared  alone.  "Uncle  won't  come 
round  till  one  o'clock,  Carrie.  He  said  he  should  take  a 
quiet  stroll  round  by  himself  and  look  at  the  ships,  and  that 
no  doubt  we  should  like  to  have  a  talk  together." 

"Is  he  very  cross  with  you,  Bob?  "  she  asked  anxiously. 
"You  know  he  really  is  kind  at  heart,  very  kind;  but  I  am 
afraid  he  must  be  very  hard  as  a  master." 

"Not  a  bit,  Carrie.  I  expected  he  was  going  to  be  so, 
but  he  isn't  the  least  like  that.     He  is  very  much  liked  by 


08  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

every  one  there.  He  doesn't  say  much,  and  he  certainly 
looks  stiff  and  grim  enough  for  anything;  but  he  isn't  so 
really,  not  a  bit." 

"  Didn't  he  scold  you  dreadfully  about  your  upsetting 
those  twelve  bottles  of  wine?  " 

"  He  never  said  a  word  about  it,  and  I  did  not  know  at 
the  time  he  had  seen  me.  John,  the  foreman,  the  one  who 
used  to  take  me  out  in  the  holidays,  would  not  have  said 
anything  about  it;  he  said  of  course  accidents  did  happen 
sometimes  with  the  boys,  and  when  they  did  he  himself 
blew  them  up,  and  there  was  no  occasion  to  mention  it  to 
Mr.  Bale  when  it  wasn't  anything  very  serious.  But/  of 
course,  I  could  not  have  that,  and  said  that  either  he  must 
tell  uncle  or  I  should.  It  really  happened  because  my  fingers 
were  so  cold  I  could  not  feel  the  bottle.  Of  course  the 
cellar  is  not  cold,  but  I  had  been  outside  taking  in  a  wag- 
gon-load of  bottles  that  had  just  arrived,  and  counting 
them,  and  my  fingers  got  regularly  numbed.  So  John 
went  to  the  counting-house  and  told  him  about  the  wine 
being  spilt.  He  said  I  wished  him  to  tell  him,  and  how  it 
had  happened." 

"What  did  uncle  say,  Bob?" 

"  He  said  he  was  glad  to  hear  that  I  told  John  to  tell  him, 
but  that  he  knew  it  already,  for  he  had  just  come  down  to  the 
cellar  when  the  bottles  went  over,  and  as  he  didn't  wish  to 
interfere  with  the  foreman's  work,  had  come  back  to  the 
counting-house  without  anyone  noticing  he  had  been  there. 
He  said  of  course  boys  could  not  be  trusted  like  men,  and 
that  as  he  had  chosen  to  put  me  there  he  must  put  up 
with  accidents.  He  never  spoke  about  it  to  me  till  last 
night." 

"Well,  he  seemed  very  vexed  about  it,  Bob,  and  made  a 
great  deal  of  it." 

"He  didn't  mean  it,  Carrie;  and  he  knew  I  knew  he 
didn't  mean  it.  He  knows  I  am  beginning  to  understand 
him." 


AN    UNEXPECTED    JOURNEY.  69 

That  evening  -Mr.  Bale  sent  Bob  back  to  the  hotel  by 
himself. 

"I  thought  I  would  get  him  out  of  the  way,"  he  said 
when  Bob  had  left.  "  I  wanted  to  have  a  chat  with  you 
about  him.  You  see,  Carrie,  I  acted  hastily  in  taking  him 
away  from  school;  but  it  seemed  to  me  that  he  must  be  get- 
ting into  a  very  bad  groove  to  be  playing  such  pranks  as 
breaking  out  in  the  middle  of  the  night.  I  was  sorry 
afterwards;  partly  because  it  had  upset  all  my  plans,  partly 
because  I  was  not  sure  that  I  had  done  the  best  thing  by 
him. 

"  I  had  intended  that  he  should  have  stopped  for  an- 
other year  at  school;  by  that  time  he  would  be  between 
sixteen  and  seventeen,  and  I  thought  of  taking  him  into 
the  office  for  six  months  or  so  to  begin  with,  for  him  to 
learn  a  little  of  the  routine.  Then  I  had  intended  to  send 
him  out  to  Oporto  for  two  years,  and  then  to  Cadiz  for 
two  years,  so  that  he  would  have  learnt  Portuguese  and 
Spanish  well,  got  up  all  there  was  to  learn  about  the 
different  growths,  and  established  friendly  relations  with 
my  agents. 

"  Now,  as  it  happens,  all  these  plans  have  been  upset.  My 
agent  at  Oporto  died  a  month  ago,  his  son  succeeds  him; 
he  is  a  young  man,  and  not  yet  married.  In  the  first  place, 
I  don't  suppose  he  would  care  about  being  bothered  with 
Bob;  and,  in  the  second  place,  boys  of  Bob's  age  are  not 
likely  to  submit  yery  quietly  to  the  authority  of  a  foreigner. 
Then,  too,  your  brother  is  full  of  mischief  and  fun,  and  I 
don't  suppose  foreigners  would  understand  him  in  the  least, 
and  he  would  get  into  all  manner  of  scrapes. 

"  My  correspondent  at  Cadiz  is  an  elderly  man  without  a 
family,  and  the  same  objection  would  arise  in. his  case;  and, 
moreover,  from  what  I  hear  from  him  and  from  other  Spanish 
sources,  there  is  a  strong  feeling  against  England  in  Spain; 
and  now  that  we  are  at  war  with  France  and  have  troubles 
in  America,  I  think  it  likely  enough  they  will  join  in  against 


70  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

us.  Of  course  my  correspondent  writes  cautiously,  but  in 
his  last  letter  he  strongly  advises  me  to  buy  largely  at  once, 
as  there  is  no  saying  about  the  future,  and  several  of  my 
friends  in  the  trade  have  received  similar  advice.  I  have 
put  the  boy  into  the  cellar,  for  at  the  moment  I  could  see 
nothing  else  to  do  with  him.  But,  really,  the  routine  he 
is  learning  is  of  little  importance,  and  there  is  no  occasion 
for  him  to  learn  to  do  these  things  himself.  He  would  pick 
up  all  he  wants  to  know  there  when  he  came  back,  in  a  very 
short  time." 

"Then  what  are  you  thinking  of  doing,  uncle?"  Carrie 
asked  after  a  pause,  as  she  saw  that  Mr.  Bale  expected  her 
to  say  something. 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  a  way  has  opened  out  of  the  diffi- 
culty. I  don't  want  him  to  go  back  to  school  again.  He 
knows  quite  as  much  Latin  as  is  required  in  an  importer  of 
wines.  I  want  him  to  learn  Spanish  and  Portuguese,  and 
to  become  a  gentleman  and  a  man  of  the  world.  I  have 
stuck  to  Philpot  Lane  all  my  life,  but  there  is  no  reason 
why  he  should  do  so  after  me.  Things  are  changing  in  the 
city,  and  many  of  our  merchants  no  longer  live  there,  but 
have  houses  in  the  country,  and  drive  or  ride  to  them.  Some 
people  shake  their  heads  over  what  they  call  new-fangled 
notions.  I  think  it  is  good  for  a  man  to  get  right  away 
from  his  business  when  he  has  done  work.  But  this  is  not 
the  point.  Bob  is  too  young  to  begin  to  learn  the  business 
abroad.  Two  years  too  young  at  least.  But  there  is  no  rea- 
son why  he  should  not  begin  to  learn  Spanish.  Now,  I 
thought  if  I  could  find  someone  I  could  intrust  him  to, 
where  his  home  would  be  bright  and  pleasant,  he  might  go 
there  for  a  couple  of  years.  Naturally  I  should  be  prepared 
to  pay  a  fair  sum,  say  ,£200  a  year,  for  him;  for  of  course 
no  one  is  going  to  be  bothered  with  a  boy  without  being 
paid  for  it." 

Carrie  listened  for  something  further  to  come.  Then  her 
husband  broke  in :  "  I  see  what  you  are  driving  at,  Mr.  Bale, 


AN    UNEXPECTED    JOURNEY.  71 

and  Carrie  and  myself  would  be  delighted  to  have  him. 
Don't  you  see,  Carrie?  Your  uncle  means  that  Bob  shall 
stop  with  us  and  learn  the  language  there." 

"  That  would  be  delightful !  "  Carrie  exclaimed  enthusias- 
tically.    "Do  you  really  mean  that,  uncle?" 

"That  is  really  what  I  do  mean,  niece.  It  seems  to  me 
that  that  is  the  very  best  thing  we  could  do  with  the  young 
scamp." 

"It  would  be  capital!"  Carrie  went  on.  "It  is  what  I 
should  like  above  everything." 

"A  nicer  arrangement  couldn't  be,  Mr.  Bale;  it  will  suit 
us  all.  Bob  will  learn  the  language,  he  will  be  a  companion 
to  Carrie  when  I  am  on  duty,  and  we  will  make  a  man  of 
him.  But  he  won't  be  able  to  go  out  with  us,  I  am  afraid. 
Officers'  wives  and  families  get  their  passage  in  the  trans- 
ports, but  I  am  afraid  it  would  be  no  use  to  ask  for  one 
for  Bob.     Besides,  we  sail  in  four  days." 

"No,  I  will  arrange  about  his  passage,  and  so  on.  Well, 
I  am  glad  that  my  proposal  suits  you  both.  The  matter 
has  been  worrying  me  for  the  last  three  months,  and  it  is  a 
comfort  that  it  is  off  my  mind.  I  will  go  back  to  my  hotel 
now;  I  will  send  Bob  round  in  the  morning,  and  you  can 
tell  him  about  it." 


CHAPTER   IV. 


PREPARATIONS    FOR    A    VOYAGE. 


BOB  went  round  to  the  barracks  at  half-past  nine. 
"  Uncle  says  you  have  a  piece  of  news  to  tell  me,  Carrie." 

"My  dear  Bob,"  Captain  O'Halloran  said,  "your  uncle  is 
a  broth  of  a  boy.  He  would  do  credit  to  Gal  way;  and  if 
anyone  says  anything  to  the  contrary  I  will  have  him  out 
to-morrow  morning." 

"What  has  he  been  doing?"  Bob  asked.  "I  told  you, 
Carrie,  yesterday,  he  wasn't  a  bit  like  what  he  seemed." 

"Well,  Bob,  you  are  not  going  to  stay  at  his  place  of 
business  any  longer." 

"No!  Where  is  he  going  to  send  me — to  school  again? 
I  am  not  sure  I  should  like  that,  Carrie.  I  didn't  want  to 
leave,  but  I  don't  think  I  should  like  to  go  back  to  Caesar 
and  Euclid  and  all  those  wretched  old  books  again." 

"Well,  you  are  not  going,  Bob." 

"  Hurry  up,  Carrie  !  "  her  husband  said.  "  Don't  you  see 
that  you  are  keeping  the  boy  on  thorns?  Tell  him  the  news 
without  beating  about  the  bush." 

"Well,  it  is  just  this,  Bob.  You  are  to  come  out  for  two 
years  to  live  with  us  at  Gibraltar,  and  learn  Spanish." 

Bob  threw  his  cap  up  to  the  ceiling  with  a  shout  of  de- 
light, executed  a  wild  dance,  rushed  at  his  sister  and  kissed 
her  violently,  and  shook  hands  with  her  husband. 

"That  is  glorious!  "  he  said  when  he  had  sufficiently  re- 
covered himself  for  speech.  "I  said  uncle  was  a  brick, 
didn't  I?  but  I  never  dreamt  of  such  a  thins;  as  this." 


PREPARATIONS    FOR    A    VOYAGE.  73 

"  He  is  going  to  pay  very  handsomely  while  you  are  with 
us,  Bob;  so  it  will  be  really  a  great  help  to  us,  besides  we 
will  like  to  have  you  with  us.  But  you  will  have  to  work 
hard  at  Spanish,  you  know." 

"Oh,  I  will  work  hard,"  Bob  said  confidently. 

"And  be  very  steady,"  Captain  O'Halloran  said  gravely. 

"Of  course,"  Bob  replied.  "But  who  are  you  going  to 
hire  to  teach  me  that?  " 

"You  are  an  impudent  boy,  Bob,"  his  sister  said,  while 
Captain  O'Halloran  burst  out  laughing. 

"Sure,  he  has  us  both  there,  Carrie.  I  wonder  your 
uncle  did  not  make  a  proviso  that  we  were  to  get  one  of  the 
padres  to  look  after  him." 

"As  if  I  would  let  a  Spanish  priest  look  after  me !  "  Bob 
said. 

"I  didn't  mean  a  Spanish  priest,  Bob.  I  meant  one  of 
the  army  chaplains.  We  always  call  them  padres.  That 
would  be  worth  thinking  about,  Carrie." 

"Oh,  I  say,"  Bob  exclaimed  in  alarm,  "that  would  spoil 
it  altogether!  " 

"Well,  we  will  see  how  you  go  on,  Bob.  We  may  not 
find  it  necessary,  you  know;  but  you  will  find  you  have  to 
mind  your  P's  and  Q's  at  Gib.  It  is  a  garrison  place,  you 
know,  and  they  won't  stand  nonsense  there.  If  you  played 
any  tricks  they  would  turn  you  outside  the  lines,  or  send 
you  up  to  one  of  the  caverns  to  live  with  the  apes." 

"Are  there  apes?  "  Bob  asked  eagerly.  "They  would  be 
awful  fun,  I  should  think.  I  have  seen  them  at  Exeter 
'Change." 

"There  are  apes,  Bob;  but  if  you  think  you  are  going  to 
get  near  enough  to  put  salt  on  their  tails  you  are  mistaken." 

"But  am  I  going  out  with  you?"  Bob  asked.  "Why, 
to-morrow  is  Christmas-day,  and  you  sail  two  days  after, 
don't  you?  and  I  shouldn't  have  time  even  to  go  up  to  town 
and  down  to  Putney  to  say  good-bye  to  the  fellows.  I 
should  like  to  do  that,  and  tell  them  that  I  am  going  abroad." 


74  HELD    FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

"You  are  not  going  with  us,  Bob,  and  you  will  have  time 
for  all  that.  We  could  not  take  you  in  the  transport,  and 
uncle  will  arrange  for  a  passage  for  you  in  some  ship  going 
out.  Of  course  he  knows  all  about  vessels  trading  with 
Spain." 

"Well,  we  sha'n't  have  to  say  good-bye  now,"  Bob  said. 
"I  haven't  said  much  about  it,  but  I  have  been  thinking 
a  lot  about  how  horrid  it  would  be,  after  being  so  jolly  here, 
to  have  to  say  good-bye,  knowing  that  I  shouldn't  see  you 
again  for  years  and  years.     Now  that  is  all  over." 

A  few  minutes  later  Mr.  Bale  came  in.  He  had  assumed 
his  most  business-like  expression,  but  Bob  rushed  up  to 
him. 

"  Oh,  uncle,  I  am  so  obliged  to  you  !     It  is  awfully  kind." 

"  I  thought  the  arrangement  would  be  a  suitable  one,"  Mr. 
Bale  began. 

"No,  no,  uncle,"  Bob  broke  in.  "You  would  say  that 
if  you  were  in  Philpot  Lane.  Now  you  know  you  can  say 
that  you  thought  it  would  be  the  very  j oiliest  thing  that  was 
ever  heard  of." 

"  I  am  afraid,  niece,  that  the  sentiment  of  respect  for  his 
elders  is  not  strongly  developed  in  Bob." 

"I  am  afraid  not,  uncle;  but,  you  see,  if  elders  set  an 
example  of  being  double-faced  to  their  nephews,  they  must 
expect  to  forfeit  their  respect." 

"And  it  is  a  lot  better  being  liked  than  being  respected, 
isn't  it,  uncle?  " 

"Perhaps  it  is,  Bob;  but  the  two  things  may  go  together." 

"So  they  do,  uncle.  Only  I  keep  my  respect  for  Philpot 
Lane,  and  it  is  all  liking  here." 

They  spent  two  more  delightful  days  at  Portsmouth; 
visited  some  of  the  ships  of  war  and  the  transport  in  which 
the  58th  was  to  sail,  and  went  over  the  dockyard.  The 
next  morning  Mr.  Bale  and  Bob  returned  by  the  early  coach 
to  London,  as  the  boxes  and  trunks  and  the  portable  furni- 
ture had  to  be  sent  off  early  on  board.     Mr.  Medlin  was  less 


PREPARATIONS    FOR    A    VOYAGE.  75 

surprised  at  hearing  that  Bob  was  going  to  leave  than  the 
latter  had  expected. 

"You  know,  Bob,  I  was  away  one  day  last  week.  Well, 
I  didn't  tell  you  at  the  time  where  I  was,  because  I  was 
ordered  not  to ;  but  your  uncle  said  to  me  the  evening  before, 
'I  am  going  to  drive  down  by  coach  to  Windsor,  Mr.  Med- 
lin,  and  shall  be  glad  if  you  will  accompany  me. '  I  guessed 
he  wanted  to  talk  about  things  outside  the  business;  and  so 
it  was.  We  had  a  capital  dinner  down  there,  and  then  we 
had  a  long  talk  about  you.  I  told  him  frankly  that  though 
I  was  very  glad  to  have  you  with  me,  I  really  did  not  see 
that  it  was  of  any  use  your  being  kept  at  that  work.  He 
said  that  he  thought  so  too,  and  had  an  idea  on  which  he 
wanted  my  opinion.  He  was  thinking  of  accepting  your 
sister's  invitation  to  go  down  and  spend  Christmas  with  her, 
and  intended  to  ask  her  if  they  would  take  charge  of  you 
for  a  couple  of  years,  in  order  that  you  might  learn  Spanish. 
Of  course  I  said  that  it  was  the  very  best  thing  in  the  world 
for  you,  and  would  not  be  any  loss  of  time,  because  if  you 
could  speak  Spanish  well  you  would  learn  the  business  much 
more  quickly  when  you  went  to  Cadiz,  and  need  not  be  so 
long  abroad  then." 

"  I  shall  be  awfully  sorry  to  go  away  from  you,  Mr. 
Medlin,  and  from  Mrs.  Medlin  and  the  others.  It  has  been 
so  jolly  with  you,  and  you  have  all  been  so  kind." 

"Yes,  it  has  been  very  comfortable  all  round,  Bob,  and 
we  shall  all  be  sorry  that  you  are  going;  but  I  did  not  ex- 
pect we  should  have  you  long  with  us.  I  felt  sure  your 
uncle  would  see  he  had  made  a  mistake  in  taking  you  into 
the  place  so  young;  and  when  he  finds  out  he  has  made  a 
mistake  he  says  so.  Some  people  won't;  but  I  have  known 
him  own  up  he  has  been  wrong  after  blowing  up  one  of  the 
boys  in  the  cellar  for  something  he  hadn't  done.  Now,  there 
is  not  one  employer  in  a  hundred  who  would  do  that.  Yes, 
I  felt  sure  that  he  would  change  his  mind  about  you,  and 
either  send  you  back  to  school  again  or  make  some  other 


76  HELD    FAST   FOR    ENGLAND. 

arrangement;  so  I  wasn't  a  bit  surprised  when  he  spoke  to 
me  last  week.     Still,  we  shall  all  be  sorry,  Bob." 

Another  fortnight  passed  without  Bob  hearing  more,  ex- 
cept that  he  was  taken  by  Mr.  Medlin  to  various  shops,  and 
a  large  outfit  was  ordered. 

"You  will  bear  in  mind  two  things,  Mr.  Medlin,"  his 
employer  had  said.  "  In  the  first  place,  that  my  nephew 
will  grow  in  the  next  two  years.  Therefore  order  some  of 
his  things  to  fit  him  now,  and  some  to  be  made  larger  and 
in  more  manly  fashion.  Give  instructions  that  when  these 
are  finished  they  are  to  be  put  in  tin  cases  and  soldered 
down,  so  as  to  be  kept  distinct  from  the  others.  In  the 
second  place,  you  will  bear  in  mind  that  clothes  which'would 
be  perfectly  right  and  suitable  for  him  here  will  not  be  at  all 
suitable  for  him  there.  He  will  be  living  with  an  officer, 
and  associating  entirely  with  military  men,  and  there  must 
therefore  be  a  certain  cut  and  fashion  about  his  things.  Of 
course  I  don't  want  him  to  look  like  a  young  fop;  but  you 
understand  what  I  want.  There  will  be  no  boys  out  there, 
it  is  therefore  better  that  he  should  look  a  little  older 
than  he  is.  Besides,  I  think  that  boys,  and  men  too,  to  some 
extent,  live  up  to  their  clothes.  I  do  not  think  that  I  have 
anything  else  to  say,  Mr.  Medlin,  except  that,  as  he  will  not 
be  able  to  replace  any  clothes  he  may  destroy  out  there, 
and  as  he  is  sure  to  be  climbing  about  and  destroying  them 
in  one  way  or  another,  it  is  necessary  that  an  ample  supply 
should  be  laid  in." 

Mr.  Medlin  had  scrupulously  carried  out  all  these  instruc- 
tions, and  Bob  was  almost  alarmed  at  the  extent  of  the 
wardrobe  ordered. 

"I  know  what  I  am  doing,  Mr.  Robert,"  for  they  were  in 
the  city  when  Bob  made  his  protest;  "  I  am  quite  sure  that  my 
employer  will  make  no  objection  to  my  ordering  largely,  but 
he  would  certainly  be  much  displeased  if  I  did  not  order 
what  he  conceived  to  be  sufficient." 

At  the  end  of  the  fortnight  Mr.  Bale  informed  Bob  that 


PREPARATIONS   FOR   A   VOYAGE.  77 

he  had  arranged  for  his  passage  to  Gibraltar  in  the  brig 
Antelope.  "  She  is  bound  to  Valencia  for  fruit.  She  is  a  fast 
sailer  and  is  well  armed.  There  will  be  no  other  passengers 
on  board;  but  as  I  am  acquainted  with  the  captain,  who  has 
several  times  brought  over  cargoes  for  me  from  Cadiz  and 
Oporto,  he  has  agreed  to  take  you.  I  would  rather  you 
had  gone  in  a  ship  sailing  with  a  convoy,  but  as  there  was 
a  very  strong  one  went  at  the  time  the  transports  sailed 
there  may  not  be  another  for  some  time.  These  small  ves- 
sels do  not  wait  for  convoys,  but  trust  to  their  speed.  You 
can  now  discontinue  your  work  here,  as  you  will  probably 
wish  to  go  down  to  Putney  to  say  good-bye  to  your  friends 
there.  The  brig  will  sail  next  Monday,  but  you  will  go 
down  on  Saturday  by  coach  to  Southampton,  where  she  now 
is;  I  shall  request  Mr.  Medlin  to  see  you  on  board.  He  tells 
me  that  your  outfit  is  completed,  and  your  trunks,  with  the 
exception  of  what  will  be  required  upon  the  voyage,  will 
be  sent  off  by  the  carrier-waggon  on  Wednesday.  On 
Thursday  afternoon  you  will  leave  Mr.  Medlin' s  and  stay 
here  till  you  start." 

The  week  passed  quickly.  Bob  enjoyed  his  day  at  Put- 
ney, where,  after  saying  good-bye  to  his  old  school-fellows, 
he  called  upon  Admiral  Langton,  who  was  very  glad  to  hear 
of  the  change  in  his  prospects. 

"  It  will  do  you  good,"  he  said,  "to  go  out  into  the  world 
and  see  a  little  of  life.  It  was  a  dull  thing  for  a  lad  of  your 
age  and  spirits  to  be  couped  up  in  a  counting-house  in  the 
city;  but  now  that  you  are  going  to  Gibraltar,  and  after- 
wards to  Cadiz  and  Oporto,  and  will  not  return  to  settle 
down  to  business  until  you  are  one-and-twenty  or  so,  I  think 
that  the  prospect  before  you  is  a  very  pleasant  one,  and  I  am 
glad  that  your  uncle  has  proved  altogether  different  to  your 
anticipations  of  him.  Well,  you  are  sure  to  see  my  son 
at  Gibraltar  sometimes.  I  shall  write  to  him  and  tell  him 
that  you  are  there,  and  as  your  friend  Sankey  is  on  board 
the  Brilliant,  it  will  be  pleasant  for  both  of  you.    Only  don't 


78  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

lead  him  into  scrapes,  Bob;  midshipmen  are  up  to  mischief 
enough  on  their  own  account." 

"Everyone  always  seems  to  think  I  am  getting  into 
scrapes,  admiral.  I  don't  think  I  get  into  more  than  other 
fellows." 

"  I  rather  think  you  do,  Bob.  Mr.  Tulloch  certainly 
intimated  to  me  that  you  had  a  remarkable  talent  that  way 
if  in  no  other.  Besides,  your  face  tells  its  own  story.  Pickle 
is  marked  upon  it  as  plainly  as  if  it  were  printed.  Now  you 
must  have  supper  with  us  at  seven  o'clock  and  catch  the 
eight  o'clock  stage.     You  can  stay  until  then,  I  hope?" 

"Yes,  sir.  I  told  Mr.  Medlin  that  I  might  not  .come 
back  until  the  last  stage." 

At  parting  the  admiral  placed  a  case  in  Bob's  hands. 
"There,  my  lad,  are  a  brace  of  pistols.  You  won't  have 
any  use  for  them  for  some  years  to  come,  I  hope;  but  if 
you  stay  out  in  Spain  and  Portugal  they  may  prove  use- 
ful. Those  fellows  are  very  handy  with  their  knives,  and 
it  is  always  well  to  be  armed  if  you  go  about  at  night  among 
them.  I  should  advise  you  to  practise  shooting  whenever 
you  get  an  opportunity.  A  pistol  is  an  excellent  weapon  if 
you  really  know  how  to  use  it,  but  is  of  no  use  at  all  if  you 
don't.  Another  thing  is,  you  may  get  involved  in  affairs  of 
honour.  I  consider  duelling  to  be  a  foolish  practice,  but  it 
is  no  use  one  person  standing  up  against  a  crowd.  It  is  the 
fashion  in  our  days  to  fight  duels,  and  therefore  it  is  almost 
a  necessity  for  a  gentleman  to  be  able  to  shoot  straight; 
besides,  although  you  might  be  able  to  avoid  fighting  a  duel 
with  any  of  your  countrymen,  there  is  no  possibility  of 
getting  out  of  it  if  you  become  involved  in  a  quarrel  with 
a  foreigner.  In  that  case  an  Englishman  who  showed  the 
white  feather  would  be  a  disgrace  to  his  country. 

"Another  advantage  of  being  a  good  shot,  I  mean  a  really 
good  shot,  is  that  if  you  get  forced  into  an  affair,  and  are 
desirous  of  giving  a  lesson  but  no  more  to  an  opponent, 
you  have  it  in  your  power  to  wing  him;  whereas  if  you  are 


PREPARATIONS    FOR   A    VOYAGE.  79 

only  a  tolerably  good  shot,  you  can't  pick  your  spot,  and 
may,  to  your  lasting  regret,  kill  him.  But  all  this  is  in  the 
future,  Bob.  I  have  fought  several  duels  myself  with  those 
very  pistols,  and  I  am  happy  to  say  I  have  never  killed  my 
man,  and  shall  be  glad  to  believe,  Bob,  that  they  will  always 
be  used  in  the  same  spirit." 

Bob's  last  two  evenings  before  sailing  were  more  pleasant 
than  he  had  expected.  Mr.  Bale  seemed  to  forget  that  he 
was  still  in  Philpot  Lane,  and  chatted  with  him  freely  and 
confidentially.  "  I  hope  that  I  am  doing  the  best  for  you, 
Bob.  I  know  this  is  an  experiment,  and  I  can  only  trust 
that  it  will  turn  out  well.  I  believe  you  have  plenty  of 
sound  sense  somewhere  in  your  head,  and  that  this  asso- 
ciation with  a  number  of  young  military  men  will  not  have 
any  bad  effect  upon  you,  but  that,  after  four  or  five  years 
abroad,  you  will  not  be  less  but  rather  more  inclined  to 
settle  down  to  business.  I  regard  you  as  my  son,  and  have 
indeed  no  relations  whom  I  care  for  in  any  way  except  you 
and  your  sister.  I  trust  that  when  you  come  back  you 
will  apply  yourself  to  business  without  becoming,  as  I  have 
done,  a  slave  to  it. 

"I  might,  if  I  chose,  make  you  altogether  independent 
of  it;  but  I  am  sure  that  would  not  be  for  your  good. 
There  is  nothing  more  unfortunate  for  a  young  man  belong- 
ing to  the  middle  classes  than  to  have  no  fixed  occupation. 
The  heir  to  large  estates  is  in  a  different  position.  He  has  all 
sorts  of  responsibilities,  he  has  the  pursuits  of  a  country 
gentleman,  and  the  duties  of  a  large  land-owner;  but  the 
young  man  of  our  class,  who  does  not  take  to  business,  is 
almost  certain  to  go  in  for  reckless  dissipation  or  gambling. 
I  have  seen  numbers  of  young  men,  sons  of  old  friends  of 
my  own,  who  have  been  absolutely  ruined  by  being  left  the 
fortunes  their  fathers  had  made,  simply  because  they  had 
nothing  with  which  to  occupy  their  minds.  It  is  for  this 
reason,  Bob,  that  I  chiefly  wish  you  to  succeed  me  in  my 
business.     It  is  a  very  good  one.     I  doubt  whether  any 


80  HELD    FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

other  merchant  imports  such  large  quantities  of  wines  as 
I  do. 

"During  the  next  few  years  I  shall  endeavour  to  give  up 
as  far  as  I  can  what  I  may  call  private  business,  and  deal 
entirely  with  the  trade.  I  have  been  doing  so  for  some  time, 
but  it  is  very  difficult  to  give  up  customers  who  have  dealt 
with  me  and  my  father  before  me.  However,  I  shall  cur- 
tail the  business  in  that  direction  as  much  as  I  can,  and  you 
will  then  find  it  much  more  easily  managed.  Small  orders 
require  just  as  much  trouble  in  their  execution  as  large  ones, 
and  a  wholesale  business  is  in  all  respects  more  satisfactory 
than  one  in  which  private  customers  are  supplied  as  well  as 
the  trade.  I  am  entering  into  arrangements  now  with 
several  travellers  for  the  purpose  of  extending  my  dealings 
with  the  trade  in  the  provinces,  so  that  when  it  comes  into 
your  hands  you  will  find  it  more  compact,  and  at  the  same 
time  more  extensive  than  it  is  now. 

"  I  am  glad  that  I  have  had  you  here  for  the  past  four 
months.  I  have  had  my  eye  upon  you  more  closely  than  you 
suppose,  and  I  am  pleased  to  see  that  you  have  worked  well 
and  willingly;  far  more  so  than  I  expected  from  you.  This 
has  much  encouraged  me  in  the  hope  that  you  will  in  time 
settle  down  to  business  here,  and  not  be  contented  to  lead 
a  purposeless  and  idle  life.  The  happiest  man,  in  my  opin- 
ion, is  he  who  has  something  to  do,  and  yet  not  too  much; 
who  can,  by  being  free  from  anxieties  regarding  it,  view  his 
business  as  an  occupation  and  a  pleasure,  and  who  is  its 
master  and  not  its  slave.  I  am  thinking  of  giving  Mr. 
Medlin  a  small  interest  in  the  business.  1  mean  to  make  a 
real  effort  to  break  a  little  loose  from  it,  and  I  have  seen 
enough  of  him  to  know  that  he  will  make  a  very  valuable 
junior.  He  isa  little  eccentric,  perhaps,  a  sort  of  exagger- 
ation of  myself,  but  I  shall  signify  to  him  that  when  he 
comes  into  the  firm  I  consider  that  it  will  be  to  its  advan- 
tage that  he  should  import  a  little  of  what  we  may  call  his 
extra-official  manner  into  it. 


PREPARATIONS    FOR   A   VOYAGE.  81 

"In  our  business,  as  I  am  well  aware,  although  I  do  not 
possess  it  myself,  a  certain  cheerfulness  of  disposition  and 
a  generally  pleasing  manner  are  of  advantage.  Buyers 
are  apt  to  give  larger  orders  than  they  otherwise  would 
do  under  the  influence  of  pleasant  and  genial  relations, 
and  Mr.  Medlin  can,  if  he  chooses,  make  up  for  my  de- 
ficiencies in  that  way.  But  I  am  taking  the  step  rather  in  your 
interest  than  in  my  own.  It  will  relieve  you  of  a  consider- 
able portion  of  the  burden  of  the  business,  and  will  enable 
you  to  relax  somewhat  when  you  are  disposed  if  you  have 
a  partner  in  whom  you  can  place  thorough  confidence.  I 
do  not  wish  you  to  mention  this  matter  to  him,  I  would 
rather  open  it  to  him  myself.  We  will  go  on  another  fish- 
ing expedition  together,  and  I  think  we  can  approach  it 
then  on  a  more  pleasant  footing  than  we  could  here.  He  has 
modelled  himself  so  thoroughly  upon  me,  that  the  matter 
could  only  be  approached  in  so  intensely  a  business-like  way 
here  that  I  feel  sure  we  should  not  arrive  at  anything  like 
such  a  satisfactory  arrangement  as  we  might  do  elsewhere." 

In  the  course  of  the  week  Captain  Lockett  of  the  Antelope 
had  called  at  the  office,  and  Bob  had  been  introduced  to 
him  by  Mr.  Bale.  He  was  a  hearty  and  energetic-looking 
man  of  some  five-and-thirty  years  of  age. 

"  I  shall  want  you  to  go  to  Cadiz  for  me  next  trip, 
Captain  Lockett,"  Mr.  Bale  said.  "I  am  having  an  unusu- 
ally large  cargo  prepared  for  me;  enough,  I  fancy,  to  fill  up 
your  brig." 

"All  the  better,  sir,"  the  sailor  said.  "There  is  nothing 
like  having  only  one  shipper,  it  saves  time  and  trouble;  but 
I  should  advise  you  to  insure  it  for  its  full  value,  for  the 
channel  swarms  with  French  privateers  at  present,  and  the 
fellows  are  building  them  bigger,  and  mounting  heavier 
guns  than  they  used  to  do.  I  am  mounting  a  long  eighteen 
as  a  swivel-gun  this  voyage,  in  addition  to  those  I  carried 
before.  But  even  with  that  there  are  some  of  these  French 
craft  might  prove  very  awkward  customers  if  they  fell  in 


82  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

with  us.  You  see,  their  craft  are  crowded  with  men,  and  gen- 
erally carry  at  least  twice  as  many  hands  as  ours.  It  is 
just  the  same  with  their  fishing-boats.  It  takes  about  three 
Frenchmen  to  do  the  work  of  an  Englishman." 

"Well,  don't  get  caught  this  time,  Captain  Lockett.  1 
don't  want  my  nephew  to  learn  to  speak  French  instead  of 
Spanish,  for  there  is  very  little  trade  to  be  done  in  that 
quarter  at  present,  and  what  there  is  is  all  carried  on  by 
what  I  may  call  irregular  channels." 

"  I  fancy  there  is  a  great  deal  of  French  wine  comes  into 
this  country  still,  sir,  in  spite  of  the  two  nations  being  at  war. 
It  suits  both  governments  to  wink  at  the  trade.  We  want 
French  wine,  and  they  want  English  money." 

"That's  so,  Captain  Lockett;  but  at  any  rate  we  can't  send 
English  buyers  out  there,  and  must  take  what  they  choose 
to  send." 

On  Saturday  morning  Bob  said  good-bye  to  his  uncle, 
with  an  amount  of  feeling  and  regret  he  would  have  con- 
sidered impossible  four  months  previously.  Mr.  Medlin 
accompanied  him  to  Southampton,  and  the  journey  was  a 
very  lively  one. 

"Good-bye,  Bob,"  the  clerk  said,  as  they  shook  hands  on 
the  deck  of  the  Antelope.  "You  will  be  a  man  when  I  see 
you  again,  that  is,  if  you  don't  come  home  for  a  bit  before 
going  to  the  people  at  Cadiz  and  Oporto.  You  will  be 
coming  into  the  firm  then,  and  will  be  Mr.  Robert  always." 

"Not  if  we  go  out  fishing  expeditions  together,"  Bob 
said  and  laughed. 

"Ah!  well,  perhaps  that  will  be  an  exception.  Well, 
good-bye,  a  pleasant  voyage  to  you,  and  don't  get  into  more 
scrapes  than  you  can  help." 

"  Oh,  I  am  growing  out  of  that,  Mr.  Medlin !  " 

"  Not  you,  Bob.  They  may  be  different  sorts  of  scrapes 
in  the  future,  but  scrapes  there  will  be,  or  I  am  a  Dutch- 
man." 

"Well,  youngster,  are  you  a  good  sailor?"  the  captain 


PREPARATIONS    FOR    A    VOYAGE.  83 

asked,  as  the  Antelope  with  all  sail  set  ran  down  South- 
ampton water. 

"I  hope  I  am,  captain,  but  I  don't  know  yet.  I  have 
gone  out  sailing  in  boats  at  Plymouth  several  times  in  rough 
weather,  and  have  never  felt  a  bit  ill;  but  I  don't  know 
how  it  will  be  in  a  ship  like  this." 

''If  you  can  sail  in  rough  water  in  a  boat  without  feeling 
ill,  you  ought  to  be  all  right  here,  lad.  She  is  an  easy  craft 
as  well  as  a  fast  one,  and  makes  good  weather  of  it  in  any- 
thing short  of  a  gale.  There  is  eight  bells  striking,  that 
means  eight  o'clock  and  breakfast.  You  had  better  lay  in 
as  good  a  store  as  you  can.  We  shall  be  outside  the  Needles, 
if  the  wind  holds,  by  dinner-time,  and  you  may  not  feel  so 
ready  for  it  then." 

The  second-mate  breakfasted  in  the  cabin  with  the  captain 
and  Bob,  the  first-mate  remaining  on  deck.  The  second- 
mate  was  a  young  man  of  three  or  four-and-twenty,  a  cousin 
of  the  captain.  He  was  a  frank,  pleasant-faced  young  sailor, 
and  Bob  felt  that  he  should  like  him. 

"  How  many  days  do  you  expect  to  be  in  getting  to  Gibral- 
tar, captain?  " 

"About  ten,  if  we  have  luck;  twenty  if  we  haven't. 
There  is  never  any  saying." 

"  How  many  men  do  you  carry?  " 

"Twenty-eight  seamen,  the  cook,  the  steward,  two  mates, 
and  myself,  and  there  are  three  boys.  Thirty-six  ail 
told." 

"I  see  you  have  eight  guns  besides  the  pivot-gun." 

"Yes.  We  have  plenty  of  hands  for  working  them  if 
we  only  have  to  fight  one  side  at  once,  but  we  shouldn't  be 
very  strong-handed  if  we  had  to  work  both  broadsides. 
There  are  four  sixteen-pounders,  four  twelves,  and  the  pivot, 
so  that  gives  three  men  to  a  gun,  besides  officers  and  idlers. 
Three  men  is  enough  for  the  twelves,  but  it  makes  rather  slow 
work  with  the  sixteens.  However,  we  may  hope  that  we 
sha'n't  have  to  work  both  broadsides  at  once.     We  carry  a 


84  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

letter  of  marque,  so  that  in  case  of  our  having  the  luck  to 
fall  in  with  a  French  trader  we  can  bring  her  in.  But  that 
is  not  our  business;  we  are  peaceful  traders,  and  don't  want 
to  show  our  teeth  unless  we  are  interfered  with." 

To  Bob's  great  satisfaction  he  found  that  he  was  able  to 
eat  his  dinner  with  unimpaired  appetite,  although  the 
Antelope  was  clear  of  the  island,  and  was  bowing  deeply  to 
a  lively  sea.  The  first-mate,  a  powerful-looking  man  of 
forty,  who  had  lost  one  eye,  and  whose  face  was  deeply 
seamed  by  an  explosion  of  powder  in  an  engagement  with 
a  French  privateer,  came  down  to  the  meal,  while  the 
second-mate  took  the  duty  on  deck.  Bob  found  some 
difficulty  in  keeping  his  dish  before  him,  for  the  Antelope 
was  lying  well  over  with  a  northerly  wind  abeam. 

"She  is  travelling  well,  Probert,"  the  captain  said.  "We 
have  got  her  in  capital  trim  this  time.  Last  time  we  were 
too  light,  and  could  not  stand  up  to  our  sails.  If  this  wind 
holds  we  shall  make  a  fast  run  of  it.  We  will  keep  her  well 
inshore  until  we  get  down  to  the  Scillys,  and  then  stretch 
across  the  bay.  The  nearer  we  keep  to  the  coast  the  less 
fear  there  is  of  running  against  one  of  those  French 
privateers." 

The  wind  held  steady,  and  Bob  enjoyed  the  voyage  im- 
mensely as  the  brig  sailed  along  the  coast.  After  passing 
Portland  Bill  they  lost  sight  of  land,  until,  after  eight  hours' 
run,  a  bold  headland  appeared  on  the  weather-beam. 

"That  is  the  Start,"  the  captain  said.  "When  I  get 
abeam  of  it  we  shall  take  our  bearings,  and  then  shape  our 
course  across  the  bay.  If  this  wind  does  but  hold  we  shall 
make  quick  work  of  it." 

Presently  the  tiller  was  put  up,  and  as  the  brig's  head 
paid  off  the  yards  were  braced  square,  and  she  ran  rapidly 
along  towards  the  south-west  with  the  wind  nearly  dead  aft. 
The  next  morning  when  Bob  went  on  deck  he  found  that 
the  wind  had  dropped,  and  the  brig  was  scarcely  moving 
through  the  water. 


PREPARATIONS    FOR    A    VOYAGE.  85 

"This  is  a  change,  Mr.  Probert,"  he  said  to  the  first-mate, 
who  was  in  charge  of  the  deck. 

"Yes,  and  not  a  pleasant  one,"  the  officer  replied.  "I 
don't  like  the  look  of  the  sky  either.  I  have  just  sent  down 
to  the  captain  to  ask  him  to  step  on  deck." 

Bob  looked  round.  The  sky  was  no  longer  bright  and 
clear.  There  was  a  dull,  heavy  look  overhead,  and  a  smoky 
haze  seemed  to  hang  over  the  horizon  all  round.  Bob 
thought  it  looked  dull,  but  wondered  why  the  mate  should 
send  for  the  captain.  The  latter  came  up  on  deck  in  a 
minute  or  two. 

"I  don't  much  like  the  look  of  the  sky,  sir,"  the  mate 
said.  "The  wind  has  died  suddenly  out  this  last  half-hour, 
and  the  swell  has  got  more  kick  in  it  than  it  had.  I  fancy 
the  wind  is  going  round  to  the  south-west,  and  that  when  it 
does  come  it  will  come  hard." 

"  I  think  you  are  right,  Mr.  Probert.  I  glanced  at  the 
glass  as  I  came  up,  and  it  has  fallen  half  an  inch  since  I 
was  up  on  deck  in  the  middle  wratch.  I  think  you  had 
better  begin  to  take  in  sail  at  once.  Call  the  watch  up 
from  below.  It  is  not  coming  yet,  but  we  may  as  well  strip 
her  at  once." 

The  mate  gave  the  order  to  the  boatswain,  whose  shrill 
whistle  sounded  out,  followed  by  the  shout  of  "All  hands 
to  take  in  sail !  "     The  watch  below  tumbled  up. 

"Take  the  royals  and  topgallant  sails  off  her,  Mr.  Probert; 
double  reef  the  topsails,  and  get  in  the  courses." 

Bob  watched  the  men  as  they  worked  aloft,  and  mar- 
velled at  the  seeming  carelessness  with  which  they  hung  on, 
where  the  slip  of  a  foot  or  hand  would  mean  sudden  death, 
and  wondered  whether  he  could  ever  attain  such  steadiness 
of  head.  Three  quarters  of  an  hour's  hard  work  and  the 
mast  was  stripped,  save  for  the  reduced  topsails. 

"Get  in  two  of  the  jibs  and  brail  up  the  spanker." 

This  was  short  work.  'When  it  was  done  the  second- 
mate,  who  had  been  working  forward,  looked  to  the  captain 


86  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

for  further  orders.  The  latter  had  again  gone  below,  but 
was  now  standing  on  the  poop  talking  earnestly  with  the 
first-mate. 

"Yes,  I  think  you  are  right,"  Bob  heard  the  captain  say. 
"The  glass  is  still  falling,  and  very  likely  it  will  be  some 
time  before  we  want  these  light  spars  again.  There  is 
nothing  like  being  snug." 

"Aloft  again,  lads !  "  the  mate  sung  out,  "  and  send  down 
the  yards  and  topgallant  masts." 

"Now  she  is  ready  for  anything,"  the  captain  said,  when 
the  men  again  descended  to  the  deck. 

Bob,  who  had  been  so  intently  watching  the  men  that 
he  had  not  looked  round  at  the  sky  since  they  first  went 
aloft,  now  had  time  to  do  so,  and  was  startled  with  the 
change  that  had  come  over  the  sea  and  sky.  There  was  not 
a  breath  of  wind.  There  was  a  dull,  oily  look  on  the  water, 
as  it  heaved  in  long  regular  waves,  unbroken  by  the  slightest 
ripple.  Black  clouds  had  banked  up  from  the  south-west, 
and  extended  in  a  heavy  arch  across  the  sky  but  little  ahead 
of  the  brig.  From  its  edge  ragged  fragments  seemed  to 
break  off  suddenly  and  fly  out  ahead. 

"It  is  going  to  blow  and  no  mistake,"  the  captain  said. 
"It  is  lucky  that  we  have  had  plenty  of  time  to  get 
her  into  fighting  trim.  You  had  better  get  hold  of  some- 
thing, lad,  and  clutch  it  tight.  It  will  begin  with  a  heavy 
squall,  and  like  enough  lay  her  pretty  well  over  on  her  beam 
ends  when  it  strikes  her." 

Higher  and  higher  the  threatening  arch  rose,  till  its  edge 
stood  over  the  mainmast.  Then  the  captain  cried :  "  Here 
it  comes,  lads;  hold  on  every  one!  " 

Looking  ahead  Bob  saw  a  white  line.  It  approached 
with  wonderful  rapidity,  and  with  a  confused  rushing  sound. 
Then  in  a  moment  he  felt  himself  clinging  as  if  for  life  to 
the  stanchion  of  which  he  had  taken  hold.  The  wind 
almost  wrenched  him  from  his  feet,  while  at  the  same 
moment  a  perfect  deluge  of  water  came  down  upon  him. 


PREPARATIONS    FOR    A    VOYAGE.  87 

He  felt  the  brig  going  further  and  further  over,  till  the 
deck  beneath  his  feet  seemed  almost  perpendicular.  The 
captain  and  first-mate  had  both  grasped  the  spokes  of  the 
wheel,  and  were  aiding  the  helmsman  in  jamming  it  down. 
Bob  had  no  longer  a  hold  for  his  feet,  and  was  hanging  by 
his  arms.  Looking  down,  the  sea  seemed  almost  beneath 
him,  but  with  a  desperate  effort  he  got  hold  of  the  rail  with 
one  hand  and  then  hauled  himself  up  under  it,  clinging 
tight  to  the  main- shrouds.  Then  he  saw  the  second-mate 
loose  the  jib  halliards,  while  one  of  the  sailors  threw  off  the 
fore-staysail  sheet,  and  the  spanker  slowly  brought  the 
brig's  head  up  into  the  wind. 

As  it  did  so  she  righted  gradually,  and  Bob  regained  his 
place  on  deck,  which  was  still,  however,  lying  over  at  a  very 
considerable  angle.  The  captain  raised  his  hand  and  pointed 
to  the  main-topsail,  and  the  second-mate  at  once  made  his 
way  aft  with  some  of  the  men,  and  laying  out  on  the 
weather  rigging  made  his  way  aloft.  The  danger  seemed 
to  Bob  so  frightful  that  he  dared  not  look  up.  He  could 
hear  through  the  pauses  of  the  blast  the  mate  shout  to  the 
men  above  him,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they  again  descended 
to  the  deck.  Even  Bob  could  feel  how  much  the  brig  was 
relieved  when  the  pressure  of  the  topsail  was  taken  off.  The 
lower  planks  of  the  deck  rose  from  the  water,  and  although 
this  still  rushed  in  and  out  through  the  scupper  holes,  and 
rose  at  times  to  the  level  of  the  bulwark  rail,  he  felt  that 
the  worst  was  over. 

One  of  the  men  was  called  to  assist  at  the  helm,  and  the 
captain  and  mate  came  forward  to  the  poop  rail. 

"That  was  touch  and  go,  youngster !  "  the  former  shouted 
to  Bob. 

"  It  was,"  Bob  said.  " More  go  than  touch,  I  should  say, 
for  I  thought  she  had  gone  altogether." 

"You  had  better  go  below  and  change  your  things.  Tell 
the  steward  to  bring  me  my  oilskins  out  of  my  cabin.  You 
had  better  keep  below  until  this  rain  has  stopped." 


bb  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

Bob  thought  the  advice  was  good,  so  he  went  down  and 
got  into  dry  clothes  and  then  lay  down  on  the  cabin  sofa  to 
leeward;  he  could  not  have  kept  his  place  on  the  other  side. 
The  rain  was  still  falling  so  heavily  on  deck  that  it  sounded 
like  a  waggon  passing  overhead,  and  mingled  with  this  noise 
was  the  howl  of  the  wind  and  the  swashing  of  the  water 
against  the  ship's  side.  Gradually  the  motion  of  the  vessel 
became  more  violent,  and  she  quivered  from  bow  to  stern 
as  the  waves  struck  her..  Although  it  was  early  in  the  after- 
noon it  became  almost  as  dark  as  night  in  the  cabin.  The 
steward  had  brought  him  a  glass  of  hot  grog  as  soon  as  he 
had  changed  his  clothes,  and  in  spite  of  the  din  he  presently 
fell  off  to  sleep.  When  he  woke  the  rain  had  ceased;  but 
the  uproar  caused  by  the  howling  of  the  wind,  the  creaking 
of  the  spars,  and  the  dashing  of  the  waves  was  as  loud  as  be- 
fore. He  soon  made  his  way  up  on  deck  and  found  that  a 
tremendous  sea  was  running.  The  fore-topsail  had  been 
got  off  the  ship,  the  weather  sheets  of  the  jib  and  fore-stay- 
sail hauled  across,  and  the  vessel  was  making  comparatively 
little  way  through  the  water.  She  was,  in  fact,  although 
Bob  did  not  know  it,  lying  to  under  these  sails  and  the 
spanker.  It  all  looked  so  terrible  to  him  that  he  kept  his 
place  but  a  few  minutes,  and  was  then  glad  to  return  to  the 
sofa  below.     In  a  short  time  the  captain  came  down. 

"How  are  you  getting  on,  lad?  All  in  the  dark,  eh? 
Steward,  light  the  lamp  and  bring  me  a  tumbler  of  hot 
grog.  Keep  the  water  boiling;  the  other  officers  will  be 
down  directly.  Well,  what  do  you  think  of  it,  young  gen- 
tleman? " 

"I  don't  like  it  at  all,"  Bob  said.  "I  thought  I  should 
like  to  see  a  storm,  but  I  never  want  to  see  one  again." 

"  I  am  not  surprised  at  that, "  the  captain  said  with  a  laugh. 
"It  is  all  very  well  to  read  about  storms,  but  it  is  a  very 
different  thing  to  be  caught  in  one." 

"Is  there  any  danger,  sir?  " 

"There  is  always  more  or  less  danger  in  a  storm,  lad;  but 


PREPARATIONS    FOR   A    VOYAGE.  89 

I  hope  and  think  the  worst  is  over.  We  are  in  for  a  heavy 
gale,  but  now  that  the  brig  has  got  through  the  first  burst 
there  is  not  much  fear  of  her  weathering  it.  She  is  a  capital 
sea  boat,  well  found  and  in  good  trim,  and  we  were  fortunate 
enough  in  having  sufficient  warning  to  get  her  snug  before 
the  first  burst  came.  That  is  always  the  most  dangerous 
point.  When  a  ship  has  way  on  her  she  can  stand  almost 
any  gale,  but  when  she  is  caught  by  a  heavy  squall  when 
she  is  lying  becalmed  you  have  to  look  out.  However,  she 
got  through  that  without  losing  anything;  and  she  is  lying 
to  now  under  the  smallest  possible  canvas,  and  if  all  goes 
well  there  is  no  reason  whatever  for  anxiety." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  'if  all  goes  well,'  captain?  " 

"I  mean  as  long  as  one  of  her  masts  isn't  carried  away, 
or  anything  of  that  sort.  I  daresay  you  think  it  rough 
now,  but  it  is  nothing  to  what  it  will  be  by  to-morrow 
morning.  I  should  advise  you  to  turn  in  at  once.  You 
could  see  nothing  if  you  went  up,  and  would  run  the  risk  of 
being  washed  overboard  or  of  getting  a  limb  broken." 

Bob's  recollections  of  his  position  as  the  ship  heeled  over 
when  the  storm  struck  her  were  still  far  too  vivid  for  him 
to  have  any  desire  for  a  repetition  of  it,  and  he  accordingly 
took  the  captain's  advice  and  turned  in  at  once.  When  he 
got  up  in  the  morning,  and  with  some  difficulty  made  his 
way  on  deck,  he  found  that,  as  the  captain  predicted,  the 
sea  was  far  heavier  than  the  night  before.  Great  ridges  of 
water  bore  down  upon  the  ship,  each  seeming  as  if  it  would 
overwhelm  her,  and  for  the  first  few  minutes  Bob  expected 
to  see  the  brig  go  head-foremost  and  sink  under  his  feet. 
It  was  not  till  he  reflected  that  she  had  lived  through  it  for 
hours  that  he  began  to  view  the  scene  with  composure.  Al- 
though the  waves  were  much  higher  than  when  he  had  left 
the  deck  on  the  previous  afternoon,  the  scene  was  really  less 
terrifying. 

The  sky  was  covered  with  masses  of  gray  cloud,  ragged 
and  torn,  hurrying  along  with  great  velocity,  apparently  but 


90  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

a  short  distance  above  the  masthead.  When  the  vessel  rose 
on  a  wave,  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  clouds  in  places  almost 
touched  the  water,  and  mingled  with  the  masses  of  spray 
caught  up  by  the  waves.  The  scud,  borne  along  by  the  wind, 
struck  his  face  with  a  force  that  caused  it  to  smart,  and  for 
a  time  he  was  unable  to  face  the  gale  even  for  a  minute. 
The  decks  were  streaming  with  water.  The  boats  had  dis- 
appeared from  the  davits,  and  a  clean  sweep  seemed  to 
have  been  made  of  everything  movable.  Forward  was  a  big 
gap  in  the  bulwark,  and  as  the  brig  met  the  great  waves 
masses  of  green  water  poured  in  through  this  and  swept 
along  the  deck  waist-deep.  The  brig  was  under  the  same 
sail  as  before,  except  that  she  now  showed  a  closely  reefed 
fore-topsail.  When  he  became  a  little  accustomed  to  the 
sea  and  to  the  motion,  he  watched  his  time  and  then  made 
a  rush  across  from  the  companion  to  the  weather  bulwark, 
and  got  a  firm  hold  of  one  of  the  shrouds.  The  captain  and 
the  second-mate  were  on  the  poop  near  the  wheel.  The 
former  made  his  way  to  him. 

"  Good-morning,  Master  Repton  !  Managed  to  get  some 
sleep?  " 

"Yes,  I  have  slept  all  night,  captain.  I  say,  isn't  this 
tremendous?  I  did  not  think  anything  could  be  like  this. 
It  is  splendid,  you  know,  but  it  takes  one's  breath  away. 
I  don't  think  it  is  blowing  quite  so  hard,  is  it?  " 

"  Every  bit  as  hard,  but  it  is  more  regular,  and  you  are 
accustomed  to  it." 

"But  I  see  you  have  got  up  some  more  sail." 

"Yes,  that's  to  steady  her.  You  see  when  she  gets  into 
the  trough  between  these  great  waves  the  lower  sails  are 
almost  becalmed,  and  we  are  obliged  to  show  something 
above  them  to  keep  a  little  way  on  her.  We  are  still  lying 
to,  vou  see,  and  meet  the  waves  head  on.  If  her  head  was  to 
fall  off  a  few  points  and  one  of  these  waves  took  her  on  the 
beam,  she  would  go  down  like  a  stone.  Yes,  the  brig  is 
doing  very  handsomely.     She  has  a  fine  run,  more  like  a 


PREPARATIONS    FOR   A   VOYAGE.  91 

schooner  than  a  brig,  and  she  meets  the  waves  easily  and 
rises  to  them  as  lightly  as  a  feather;  she  is  a  beauty  !  If  you 
are  going  to  stay  here,  lad,  you  had  better  lash  yourself,  for 
it  is  not  safe  standing  as  you  are." 


CHAPTER   V. 


A    FRENCH    PRIVATEER. 


AS  he  became  more  accustomed  to  the  scene  around  him, 
and  found  that  the  waves  were  more  terrible  in  appear- 
ance than  reality,  Bob  began  to  enjoy  it,  and  to  take  in  its 
grandeur  and  wildness.  The  bareness  of  the  deck  had  struck 
him  at  once,  and  he  now  saw  that  four  of  the  cannon  were 
gone — the  two  forward  guns  on  each  side;  and  he  rightly 
supposed  that  these  must  have  been  run  out  and  tumbled 
overboard  to  lighten  the  ship  forward,  and  enable  her  to 
rise  more  easily  to  the  waves.  An  hour  later  the  second- 
mate  came  along. 

"You  had  better  come  down  and  get  some  breakfast," 
he  said.     "I  am  going  down  first." 

Bob  threw  off  the  rope  and  followed  the  mate  down  into 
the  cabin.  Mr.  Probert  had  just  turned  out.  He  had  been 
lying  down  for  two  or  three  hours,  having  gone  down  as 
daylight  broke. 

"The  captain  says  you  had  better  take  something  before 
you  go  on  deck,  Mr.  Probert,"  the  second-mate  said.  "  He 
will  come  down  afterwards  and  turn  in  for  an  hour  or  two." 

"No  change,  I  suppose?" 

"No.  She  goes  over  it  like  a  duck.  The  seas  are  more 
regular  now,  and  she  is  making  good  weather  of  it." 

Bob  wondered  in  his  own  mind  what  she  would  do  if  she 
was  making  bad  weather. 

The  meal  was  an  irregular  one.  The  steward  brought  in 
three  large  mugs  half  filled  with  coffee,  a  basket  of  biscuits, 


A    FRENCH    PRIVATEER.  93 

and  a  ham.  From  this  he  cut  off  some  slices,  which  he  laid 
on  biscuits,  and  each  of  them  ate  their  breakfast,  holding 
their  mugs  in  one  hand  and  their  biscuits  and  ham  in  the 
other.  As  soon  as  they  had  finished,  the  two  officers  went 
on  deck,  and  directly  afterwards  the  captain  came  down. 
Bob  chatted  with  him  until  he  had  finished  his  breakfast, 
and  then  went  up  on  deck  again  for  two  or  three  hours. 
xAt  the  end  of  that  time  he  felt  so  completely  exhausted 
from  the  force  of  the  wind  and  the  constant  change  of  the 
angle  at  which  he  was  standing,  that  he  was  glad  to  go  below 
and  lie  down  again.  There  wasno  regular  dinner,  the  officers 
coming  below  by  turns  and  taking  a  biscuit  and  a  chunk  of 
cold  meat  standing.  But  at  tea-time  the  captain  and  second- 
mate  came  down  together,  and  Bob,  who  had  again  been 
up  on  deck  for  a  bit,  joined  them  in  taking  a  large  bowl  of 
coffee. 

"I  think  the  wind  is  blowing  harder  than  ever,"  he  said 
to  the  captain. 

"Yes,  the  glass  has  begun  to  rise  a  little;  and  that  is 
generally  a  sign  you  are  getting  to  the  worst  of  it.  I  expect 
it  is  a  three-days'  gale,  and  we  shall  have  it  at  its  worst 
to-night.  I  hope  by  this  time  to-morrow  we  shall  be  begin- 
ning to  shake  out  our  reefs.  You  had  better  not  go  up  any 
more.  It  will  be  dark  in  half  an  hour,  and  your  bunk  is  the 
best  place  for  you." 

Bob  was  not  sorry  to  obey  the  order,  for  he  felt  that  the 
scene  would  be  a  very  terrible  one  after  dark.  The  night, 
however,  seemed  to  him  to  be  a  miserably  long  one,  for 
he  was  only  able  to  doze  off  occasionally,  the  motion  being 
so  violent  that  he  had  to  jam  himself  in  his  berth  to 
prevent  himself  from  being  thrown  out.  The  blows  with 
which  the  waves  struck  the  ship  were  tremendous,  and  so 
deeply  did  she  pitch  that  more  than  once  he  thought  that 
she  would  never  come  up  again,  but  go  down  head-fore- 
most. Once  he  thought  he  heard  a  crash,  and  there  were 
orders  shouted  on  the  deck  above  him;  but  he  resisted  the 


94  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

desire  to  go  up  and  see  what  it  was,  for  he  knew  that  he 
could  do  nothing,  and  that  in  the  darkness  he  could  see  but 
little  of  what  was  going  on. 

With  the  first  gleam  of  daylight,  however,  he  got  out  of 
the  bunk.  He  had  not  attempted  to  undress,  having  taken 
off  his  shoes  only  when  he  lay  down.  Having  put  these  on 
again  he  went  up.  There  was  but  little  change  since  the 
previous  morning,  but  looking  forward  he  saw  that  the  bow- 
sprit was  gone,  and  the  fore-topmast  had  been  carried  away. 
The  sea  was  as  high  as  ever,  but  patches  of  blue  sky  showed 
overhead  between  the  clouds,  and  the  wind  was  blowing 
somewhat  less  violently. 

"We  have  been  in  the  wars,  you  see,  youngster,"  the 
captain  said  when  Bob  made  his  way  aft;  "but  we  may 
thank  God  it  was  no  worse.  We  have  had  a  pretty  close 
squeak  of  it,  but  the  worst  is  over  now;  the  wind  is  going 
down,  and  the  gale  will  have  blown  itself  out  by  this  even- 
ing. It  was  touch-and-go  several  times  during  the  night, 
and  if  she  had  had  a  few  more  tons  of  cargo  in  her  she 
would  never  have  risen  from  some  of  those  waves;  but  I 
think  now  we  shall  see  Oporto  safely,  which  was  more  than 
I  expected  about  midnight." 

For  some  hours  Bob  himself  had  considerable  doubts  as  to 
this,  so  deeply  did  the  brig  bury  herself  in  the  waves;  but 
after  twelve  o'clock  the  wind  fell  rapidly,  and  although  the 
waves  showed  no  signs  of  decreasing  in  height,  their  surface 
was  smoother,  and  they  seemed  to  strike  the  vessel  with 
less  force  and  violence. 

"Now,  Mr.  Probert,"  said  the  captain,  "do  you  and  Joe 
turn  in  till  first  watch;  I  will  take  charge  of  the  deck. 
After  that  you  can  set  regular  watches  again." 

The  main-topsail  was  already  on  her,  and  at  six  o'clock 
the  captain  had  two  of  its  reefs  shaken  out,  and  the  other 
reef  was  also  loosed  when  Mr.  Probert  came  up  and  took 
charge  of  the  first  watch  at  eight  bells.  That  night  Bob 
lay  on  the  floor,   for   the  motion  was  more  violent   than 


A    FRENCH   PRIVATEER.  95 

before,  the  vessel  rolling  gunwale  under;  for  the  wind  no 
longer  pressed  upon  her  sails  and  kept  her  steady,  and  he 
would  have  found  it  impossible  to  maintain  his  position  in 
his  berth.  In  the  morning  he  went  up.  The  sun  was  rising 
in  an  unclouded  sky;  there  was  scarce  a  breath  of  wind; 
the  waves  came  along  in  high  glassy  rollers — smooth  mounds 
of  water  which  extended  right  and  left  in  deep  valleys  and 
high  ridges.  The  vessel  was  rolling  tremendously,  the  lower 
yards  sometimes  touching  the  water.  Bob  had  to  wait  some 
time  before  he  could  make  a  rush  across  to  the  bulwark,  and, 
when  he  did  so,  found  it  almost  impossible  to  keep  his  feet. 
He  could  see  that  the  men  forward  were  no  longer  crouch- 
ing for  shelter  under  the  break  of  the  fo'castle,  but  were 
holding  on  by  the  shrouds  or  stays  smoking  their  pipes,  and 
laughing  and  joking  together.  Until  the  motion  abated 
somewhat  it  was  clearly  impossible  to  commence  the  work 
of  getting  things  in  order. 

"Did  the  bowsprit  and  mast  both  go  together?"  Bob 
asked  Joe  Lockett,  who  was  holding  on  to  the  bulwark  near 
him. 

"Yes,  the  bowsprit  went  with  the  strain  when  she  rose, 
having  buried  herself  half-way  up  the  waist,  and  the  top- 
mast snapped  like  a  carrot  a  moment  later.  That  was  the 
worst  dive  we  made.  There  is  no  doubt  that  getting  rid  of 
the  leverage  of  the  bowsprit  right  up  in  her  eyes  eased  her 
a  good  bit;  and  as  the  topmast  was  a  pretty  heavy  spar  too, 
that  also  helped." 

"How  long  will  it  be  before  the  sea  goes  down?  " 
"  If  you  mean  goes  down  enough  for  us  to  get  to  work — 
a  few  hours;   if  you  mean  goes  down  altogether,  it  will  be 
five  or  six  days  before  this  swell  has  quite  flattened  down, 
unless  a  wind  springs  up  from  some  other  quarter." 
"  I  meant  till  the  mast  can  be  got  up  again." 
"Well,  this  afternoon  the  captain  may  set  the  men  at 
work;  but  I  don't  think  they  would  do  much  good,  and 
there  would  be  a  good  chance  of  getting  a  limb  broken.     As 


96  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

long  as  this  calm  holds  there  is  no  hurry  one  way  or  the 
other." 

"You  mean  because  we  couldn't  be  sailing  even  if  we  had 
everything  set?  " 

"Well,  yes,  that  is  something,  but  I  didn't  mean  that.  I 
am  not  thinking  so  much  of  our  sailing  as  of  other  people's; 
we  are  not  very  fit  as  we  are  now  either  for  fighting  or 
running,  and  I  should  be  sorry  to  see  a  French  privateer 
coming  along;  but  as  long  as  the  calm  continues  there  is  no 
fear  of  that,  and  I  expect  there  have  been  few  ships  out  in 
this  gale  who  have  not  got  repairs  to  do  as  well  as  we  have." 

After  dinner  an  effort  was  made  to  begin  the  work,  but 
the  captain  soon  ordered  the  men  to  desist. 

"It  is  of  no  use,  Mr.  Frobert,  we  shall  only  be  getting 
some  of  the  men  killed;  it  wouldn't  be  possible  to  get  half 
done  before  dark,  and  if  the  sea  goes  down  a  bit  to-night 
they  will  get  as  much  done  in  an  hour's  work  in  the  morning 
as  they  would  if  they  were  to  work  from  now  to  sunset. 
The  carpenter  might  get  some  canvas,  and  nail  it  so  as  to 
hide  those  gaps  in  the  bulwark.  That  will  be  something 
done.  The  boys  can  give  it  a  coat  of  paint  in  the  morning. 
But  as  for  the  spar,  we  must  leave  it." 

All  hands  were  at  work  next  morning  with  the  first  gleam 
of  daylight.  The  rollers  were  still  almost  as  high  as  the 
day  before,  but  there  was  now  a  slight  breath  of  wind, 
which  sufficed  to  give  the  vessel  steerage-way.  She  was 
put  head  to  the  rollers,  changing  the  motion  from  the 
tremendous  rolling  when  she  was  lying  broadside  to  them 
for  a  regular  rise  and  fall  that  interfered  but  little  with 
the  work.  A  spare  spar  was  fitted  in  the  place  of  the  bow- 
sprit, the  stump  of  the  topmast  was  sent  down  and  the  top- 
gallant mast  fitted  in  its  place,  and  by  mid-day  the  light 
spars  were  all  in  their  places  again  and  the  brig  was  show- 
ing a  fair  spread  of  canvas,  and  a  casual  observer  would 
at  a  distance  have  noticed  but  slight  change  in  her  appear- 
ance. 


A    FRENCH    PRIVATEER.  97 

"That  has  been  a  good  morning's  work,"  the  captain  said 
as  they  sat  down  to  dinner.  "We  are  a  little  short  of  head- 
sail,  but  that  will  make  no  great  difference  in  our  rate  of  sail- 
ing, especially  if  the  wind  is  aft.  We  are  ready  to  meet  with 
another  storm  again  if  it  should  come,  which  is  not  likely;  we 
are  ready  for  anything,  in  fact,  except  a  heavily-armed  priva- 
teer. The  loss  of  four  of  our  guns  has  crippled  us.  But 
there  was  no  choice  about  the  matter;  it  went  against  my 
heart  to  see  them  go  overboard,  but  it  was  better  to  lose 
four  guns  than  to  lose  the  ship.  I  hope  we  shall  meet  with 
nothing  till  we  get  through  the  Straits.  I  may  be  able  to 
pick  up  some  guns  at  Gibraltar;  prizes  are  often  brought  in 
there  and  condemned,  and  there  are  sales  of  stores,  so  I 
hope  to  be  able  to  get  her  into  regular  fighting  trim  again 
before  I  clear  out  from  there.  I  should  think  you  won't 
be  sorry  when  we  drop  anchor  off  the  Mole,  youngster?  " 

"  I  am  in  no  hurry  now,"  Bob  said.  "  I  would  have  given 
a  good  deal,  if  I  had  had  it,  two  days  ago  to  have  been  on 
dry  land,  but  now  that  we  are  all  right  again  I  don't  care 
how  long  we  are  before  we  get  there.  It  is  very  warm  and 
pleasant,  a  wonderful  change  after  what  it  was  when  we 
sailed.     Whereabouts  are  we,  captain?" 

"We  are  a  good  bit  farther  to  the  east  than  I  like,"  the 
captain  replied.  "  We  have  been  blown  a  long  way  into  the 
bay;  there  is  a  great  set  of  current  in  here;  we  have  drifted 
nearly  fifty  miles  in  since  noon  yesterday.  We  are  in 
4*50  west  longitude,  and  450  latitude." 

"I  don't  think  that  means  anything  to  me." 

"No,  I  suppose  not,"  the  captain  laughed.  "Well,  it 
means  we  are  nearly  due  west  of  Bordeaux,  and  about  one 
hundred  miles  from  the  French  coast,  and  a  little  more  than 
eighty  north  of  Santander,  on  the  Spanish  coast.  As  the 
wind  is  sou'-sou'-west  we  can  lay  our  course  for  Cape  Orte- 
gal,  and  once  round  there  we  shall  feel  more  comfortable." 

"But  don't  you  feel  comfortable  at  present,  captain?  " 

"Well,  not  altogether.     We  are  a  good  deal  too  close 


98  HELD    FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

in  to  the  French  coast,  and  we  are  just  on  the  track  of  any 
privateer  that  may  be  making  for  Bordeaux  from  the  west 
or  south,  or  going  out  in  those  directions.  So,  although  I 
can't  say  I  am  absolutely  uncomfortable,  I  shall  be  certainly 
glad  when  we  are  back  again  on  the  regular  track  of  our 
own  line  of  traffic  for  the  Straits  or  Portugal.  There  are 
English  cruisers  on  that  line,  and  privateers  on  the  look- 
out for  the  French,  so  that  the  sound  of  guns  might  bring 
something  up  to  our  assistance,  but  there  is  not  much  chance 
of  meeting  with  a  friendly  craft  here,  unless  it  has  like  our- 
selves been  blown  out  of  its  course." 

A  look-out  had  already  been  placed  aloft.  Several  sails 
were  seen  in  the  distance  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon, 
but  nothing  that  excited  suspicion.  The  wind  continued 
light  and  although  the  brig  had  every  sail  set  she  was  not 
making  more  than  five  and  a  half  knots  an  hour  through 
the  water.  In  the  evening  the  wind  dropped  still  more, 
and  by  nine  o'clock  the  brig  had  scarcely  steerage-way. 

"It  is  enough  to  put  a  saint  out  of  temper,"  the  captain 
said,  as  he  came  down  into  the  cabin  and  mixed  himself  a 
glass  of  grog  before  turning  in.  "  If  the  wind  had  held  we 
should  have  been  pretty  nearly  off  Finisterre  by  morning. 
As  it  is,  we  haven't  made  more  than  forty  knots  since  we 
took  the  observation  at  noon." 

Bob  woke  once  in  the  night,  and  knew  by  the  rippling 
sound  of  water  and  by  the  slight  inclination  of  his  berth 
that  the  breeze  had  sprung  up  again.  AYhen  he  woke  again 
the  sun  was  shining  brightly,  and  he  got  up  and  dressed 
leisurely;  but  as  he  went  into  the  cabin  he  heard  some 
orders  given  in  a  sharp  tone  by  the  captain  on  deck,  and 
quickened  his  pace  up  the  companion  to  see  what  was 
going  on. 

"Good  morning,  Mr.  Lockett!"  he  said  to  the  second- 
mate,  who  was  standing  close  by  looking  up  at  the  sails. 

"Good  morning,  Master  Repton!  "  he  replied,  somewhat 
more  shortly  than  usual. 


A  FRENCH    PRIVATEER.  99 

"There  is  a  nice  breeze  this  morning,"  Bob  went  on. 
"We  seem  going  on  at  a  good  rate." 

" I  wish  she  were  going  twice  as  fast,"  the  mate  said. 
"There  is  a  gentleman  over  there  who  seems  anxious  to 
have  a  talk  with  us,  and  we  don't  want  to  make  his  ac- 
quaintance." 

Bob  looked  round,  and  saw  over  the  quarter  a  large  lugger 
some  three  miles  away. 

"What  vessel  is  that?"  he  asked. 

"  That  is  a  French  privateer,  at  least  there  is  very  little 
doubt  about  it.  We  must  have  passed  each  other  in  the 
dark,  for  when  we  first  made  him  out  he  was  about  four 
miles  away,  sailing  north-east.  He  apparently  sighted  us 
just  as  we  made  him  out,  and  hauled  his  wind  at  once.  He 
has  gained  about  a  mile  on  us  in  the  last  two  hours.  We 
have  changed  our  course,  and  are  sailing  as  you  see  north- 
west, so  as  to  bring  the  wind  on  our  quarter,  and  I  don't 
think  that  fellow  has  come  up  much  since.  Still  he  does 
come  up.     We  feel  the  loss  of  our  sail  now." 

It  seemed  to  Bob,  looking  up,  that  there  was  already  an 
immense  amount  of  canvas  on  the  brig.  Stunsails  had  been 
set  on  her,  and  she  was  running  very  fast  through  the 
water. 

"  We  seem  to  have  more  canvas  set  than  that  vessel  behind 
us,"  he  said. 

"Yes,  we  have  more;  but  those  luggers  sail  like  witches. 
They  are  splendid  boats,  but  they  want  very  big  crews  to 
work  them.  That  is  the  reason  why  you  scarcely  ever  see 
them  with  us  except  as  fishing  craft  or  something  of  that  sort. 
I  daresay  that  lugger  has  a  hundred  men  on  board,  eighty 
anyhow;  so  it  is  no  wonder  we  sometimes  get  the  worst  of  it. 
They  always  carry  three  hands  to  our  two,  and  very  often 
two  to  our  one.  Of  course  we  are  really  a  trader,  though 
we  do  carry  a  letter  of  marque.  If  we  were  a  regular  priva- 
teer we  should  carry  twice  as  many  hands  as  we  do." 

Walking  to  the  poop  rail,  Bob  saw  that  the  men  were 


100  HELD   FAST   FOR    ENGLAND. 

bringing  up  shot  and  putting  them  in  the  racks  by  the  guns. 
The  breech  covers  had  been  taken  off.  The  first  officer  was 
overlooking  the  work. 

"Well,  lad,"  Captain  Lockett  said,  coming  up  to  him, 
"  you  see  that  unlucky  calm  has  got  us  into  a  mess  after 
all,  and  unless  the  wind  drops  again  we  are  going  to  have 
to  fight  for  it." 

"Would  the  wind  dropping  help  us,  sir?" 

"Yes;  we  have  more  canvas  on  her  than  the  lugger  carries, 
and,  if  the  breeze  were  lighter,  should  steal  away  from  her. 
As  it  is,  she  doesn't  gain  much;  but  she  does  gain,  and  in  an- 
other two  or  three  hours  she  will  be  sending  a  messenger  to 
ask  us  to  stop." 

"And  what  will  you  do,  captain?  " 

"We  shall  send  another  messenger  back  to  tell  her  to 
mind  her  own  business.  Then  it  will  be  a  question  of  good 
shooting.  If  we  can  knock  out  one  of  her  masts  we  shall 
get  off;  if  we  can't,  the  chances  are  we  shall  see  the  inside 
of  a  French  prison.  If  she  once  gets  alongside,  it  is  all  up 
with  us.  She  can  carry  us  by  boarding,  for  she  can  throw 
three  times  our  strength  of  men  on  to  our  deck." 

There  was  but  little  talking  on  board  the  brig.  When 
the  men  had  finished  their  preparations  they  stood  waiting 
by  the  bulwarks  watching  the  vessel  in  chase  of  them,  and 
occasionally  speaking  together  in  low  tones. 

"You  may  as  well  pipe  the  hands  to  breakfast,  Mr.  Pro- 
bert.  I  have  told  the  cook  to  give  them  an  extra  good 
meal.  After  that  I  will  say  a  few  words  to  them.  Now, 
Master  Repton,  we  may  as  well  have  our  meal,  we  mayn't 
get  another  good  one  for  some  time;  but  I  still  hope  that 
we  shall  be  able  to  cripple  that  fellow.  I  have  great  faith 
in  that  long  eighteen.  The  boatswain  is  an  old  man-o'- 
war's-man,  and  is  a  capital  shot.  I  am  a  pretty  good  one 
myself,  and  as  the  sea  is  smooth,  and  we  have  a  good  steady 
platform  to  fire  from,  I  have  good  hope  we  shall  cripple  that 
■fellow  before  he  comes  up  to  us." 


A    FRENCH   PRIVATEER.  101 

There  was  more  talking  than  usual  at  breakfast.  Captain 
Lockett  and  the  second-mate  both  laughed  and  joked  over 
the  approaching  fight.  Mr.  Probert  was  always  a  man  of 
few  words,  and  he  said  but  little  now. 

"The  sooner  they  come  up  the  better,"  he  growled.  "I 
hate  this  running  away,  especially  when  you  can't  run 
fastest." 

"The  men  will  all  do  their  best,  I  suppose,  Probert? 
You  have  been  down  among  them." 

The  first-mate  nodded.  "They  don't  want  to  see  the 
inside  of  a  prison,  captain,  no  more  than  I  do.  They  will 
stick  to  the  guns,  but  I  fancy  they  know  well  enough  it  will 
be  no  use  if  it  comes  to  boarding." 

"No  use  at  all,  Probert.  I  quite  agree  with  you  there. 
If  she  comes  up  alongside  we  must  haul  down  the  flag.  It 
is  of  no  use  throwing  away  the  men's  lives  by  fighting 
against  such  odds  as  that.  But  we  mustn't  let  her  get 
up." 

"That  is  it,  sir.  We  have  got  to  keep  her  off  if  it  can 
be  done.  We  shall  have  to  haul  our  wind  a  little  when  we 
begin,  so  as  to  get  that  eighteen  to  bear  on  her." 

"Yes,  we  must  do  that,"  the  captain  said.  "Then  we 
will  get  the  other  four  guns  over  on  the  same  side." 

After  breakfast  was  over  the  captain  went  up  and  took 
his  station  at  the  poop  rail.  The  men  had  finished  their 
breakfast,  and  on  seeing  that  the  captain  was  about  to 
address  them,  moved  aft. 

"My  lads,"  he  said,  "that  Frenchman  behind  will  be 
within  range  in  the  course  of  another  hour.  What  we  have 
got  to  do  is  to  knock  some  of  her  spars  out  of  her,  and  as 
she  comes  up  slowly  we  shall  have  plenty  of  time  to  do  it. 
I  daresay  she  carries  a  good  many  more  guns  than  we  do, 
but  I  do  not  suppose  that  they  are  heavier  metal.  If  she 
got  alongside  of  us  she  would  be  more  than  our  match,  but 
I  don't  propose  to  let  her  get  alongside;  and,  as  I  don't 
imagine  any  of  you  wish  to  see  the  inside  of  a  French 


102  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

prison,  I  know  you  will  all  do  your  best.  Let  there  be  no 
hurrying  in  your  fire.  Aim  at  her  spars,  and  don't  throw  a 
shot  away.  The  chances  are  all  in  our  favour,  for  we  can 
fight  all  our  guns,  while  she  can  fight  only  her  bow-chasers; 
at  any  rate,  until  she  bears  up.  She  doesn't  gain  on  us 
much  now,  and  when  she  comes  to  get  a  few  shot  holes  in 
her  sails  it  will  make  the  difference.  I  shall  give  ten  guineas 
to  be  divided  among  the  men  at  the  first  gun  that  knocks 
away  one  of  her  spars,  and  five  guineas  besides  to  the  man 
who  lays  the  gun." 

The  men  gave  a  cheer. 

"  Get  the  guns  all  over  to  the  port  side.  I  shall  haul  her 
wind  a  little  as  soon  as  we  are  within  range." 

By  five  bells  the  lugger  was  within  a  mile  and  a  half. 
The  men  were  already  clustered  round  the  pivot-gun. 

"  Put  her  helm  down  a  little, ' '  the  captain  ordered.  "  That 
is  enough.  Now,  boatswain,  you  are  well  within  range.  Let 
us  see  what  you  can  do.  Fire  when  you  have  got  her  well 
on  your  sights." 

A  few  seconds  later  there  was  a  flash  and  a  roar.  All 
eyes  were  directed  on  the  lugger,  which  the  captain  was 
watching  through  his  glass.  There  was  a  shout  from  the 
men.  The  ball  had  passed  through  the  great  foresail  a 
couple  of  feet  from  the  mast. 

"Very  good,"  the  captain  said.  "Give  her  a  trifle  more 
elevation  next  time.  If  you  can  hit  the  yard  it  will  be  just 
as  good  as  hitting  the  mast.     Ah!  there  she  goes!  " 

Two  puffs  of  white  smoke  broke  out  from  the  lugger's  bow. 
One  shot  struck  the  water  nearly  abreast  of  the  brig  at  a 
distance  of  ten  yards,  the  other  fell  short. 

"  Fourteens  !  "  the  captain  said.  "  I  thought  she  wouldn't 
have  eigh teens  so  far  forward." 

Shot  after  shot  was  fired,  but  so  far  no  serious  damage 
had  been  caused  by  them.  The  brig  had  been  hulled  once, 
and  two  shots  had  passed  through  her  sails.  The  captain 
went  himself  to  the  pivot-gun,  and  laid  it  carefully.     Bob 


A    FRENCH   PRIVATEER.  103 

stood  watching  the  lugger  intently,  and  gave  a  shout  as  he 
saw  the  foresail  run  rapidly  down. 

"It  is  only  the  slings  cut,"  the  second-mate,  who  was 
standing  by  him,  said.  "They  will  have  it  up  again  in  a 
minute.  If  the  shot  had  been  the  least  bit  lower  it  would 
have  smashed  the  yard." 

The  lugger  came  into  the  wind,  and  as  she  did  so  eight 
guns  flashed  out  from  her  side,  while  almost  at  the  same 
moment  the  four  broadside  guns  of  the  Antelope  were  for 
the  first  time  discharged.  Bob  felt  horribly  uncomfortable 
for  a  moment  as  the  shot  hummed  overhead,  cutting  one  of 
the  stunsail  booms  in  two  and  making  five  fresh  holes  in 
the  sails. 

"Take  the  men  from  the  small  guns,  Joe,  and  get  that 
sail  in,"  the  captain  said.     "  Its  loss  is  of  no  consequence." 

In  half  a  minute  the  lugger's  foresail  again  rose,  and  she 
continued  the  chase,  heading  straight  for  the  brig. 

"He  doesn't  like  this  game  of  long  bowls,  Probert,"  the 
captain  said.  "  He  intends  to  come  up  to  board  instead  of 
trusting  to  his  guns.     Now,  boatswain,  you  try  again." 

The  brig  was  now  sailing  somewhat  across  the  lugger's 
bows,  so  that  her  broadside  guns,  trained  as  far  as  possible 
aft,  could  all  play  upon  her,  and  a  steady  fire  was  kept  up, 
to  which  she  only  replied  by  her  two  bow-chasers.  One  of 
the  men  had  been  knocked  down  and  wounded  by  a  splinter 
from  the  bulwark,  but  no  serious  damage  had  so  far  been 
inflicted,  while  the  sails  of  the  lugger  were  spotted  with 
shot  holes.  Bob  wished  heartily  that  he  had  something  to 
do,  and  would  have  been  glad  to  have  followed  the  first- 
mate's  example,  that  officer  having  thrown  off  his  coat  and 
taken  the  place  of  the  wounded  man  in  working  a  gun, 
but  he  felt  that  he  would  only  be  in  the  way  did  he  try  to 
assist.  Steadily  the  lugger  came  up  until  she  was  little  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  behind  them. 

"  Now,  lads,"  the  captain  shouted,  "  double-shot  the  guns ; 
this  is  your  last  chance.     Lay  your  guns  carefully,  and  all 


104  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

fire  together  when  I  give  the  word.  Now,  are  you  all  ready  ? 
Fire!  " 

The  five  guns  flashed  out  together,  and  the  ten  shot  sped 
on  their  way.  The  splinters  flew  from  the  lugger's  fore- 
mast in  two  places,  but  a  cry  of  disappointment  rose  as  it 
was  seen  that  it  was  practically  uninjured. 

"  Look,  look !  "  the  captain  shouted.  "  Hurrah,  lads ! "  and 
a  cloud  of  white  canvas  fell  over  to  leeward  of  the  lugger. 
Her  two  masts  were  nearly  in  line,  and  the  shot  that  had 
narrowly  missed  the  foremast  and  passed  through  the  fore- 
sail, had  struck  the  mainmast,  and  brought  it  and  its  sail 
overboard.  The  crew  of  the  brig  raised  a  general  cheer. 
A  minute  before  a  French  prison  had  stared  them  in  the 
face,  and  now  they  were  free.  The  helm  was  instantly  put 
up,  and  the  brig  bore  straight  away  from  her  pursuer. 

"What  do  you  say,  Probert?  Shall  we  turn  the  tables 
now  and  give  her  a  pounding?  " 

"I  should  like  to,  sir,  nothing  better;  but  it  would  be 
dangerous  work.  Directly  she  gets  free  of  that  hamper  she 
will  be  under  command,  and  will  be  able  to  bring  her  broad- 
side to  play  on  us,  and  if  she  had  luck  and  knocked  away 
one  of  our  spars  she  would  turn  the  tables  upon  us;  besides, 
even  if  we  made  her  strike  her  colours,  we  could  never  take 
her  into  port.  Strong-handed  as  she  is,  we  should  not  dare 
to  send  a  prize  crew  on  board." 

"You  are  right,  Probert;  though  it  does  seem  a  pity  to 
let  her  go  scot-free  when  we  have  got  her  almost  at  our 
mercy." 

"  Not  quite,  sir.     Look  there." 

The  lugger  had  managed  to  bring  her  head  sufficiently  up 
into  the  wind  for  her  broadside  guns  to  bear,  and  the  shot 
came  hurtling  overhead.  The  yard  of  the  main-topsail  was 
cut  in  sunder  and  the  peak  halliard  of  the  spanker  severed, 
and  the  peak  came  down  with  a  run.  They  could  hear  a 
faint  cheer  come  across  the  water  from  the  lugger. 

"Leave  the  guns,  lads,  and  repair  damages !  "  the  captain 


A    FRENCH    PRIVATEER.  105 

shouted.  "Throw  off  the  throat  halliards  of  the  spanker, 
get  her  down,  and  send  a  hand  up  to  reef  a  fresh  rope  through 
the  blocks,  Mr.  Probert.  Joe,  take  eight  men  with  you 
and  stow  away  the  topsail.  Send  the  broken  yard  down. 
Carpenter,  see  if  you  have  got  a  light  spar  that  will  do 
instead  of  it.  If  not,  get  two  small  ones  and  lash  them  so 
as  to  make  a  splice  of  it." 

In  a  minute  the  guns  of  the  lugger  spoke  out  again,  but 
although  a  few  ropes  were  cut  away  and  some  more  holes 
made  in  the  sails  no  serious  damage  was  inflicted,  and  before 
they  were  again  loaded  the  spanker  was  rehoisted.  The 
lugger  continued  to  fire,  but  the  brig  was  now  leaving  her 
fast.  As  soon  as  the  sail  was  up  -the  pivot-gun  was  again 
set  to  work,  and  the  lugger  was  hulled  several  times;  but 
seeing  that  her  chance  of  disabling  the  brig  was  small,  she 
was  again  brought  before  the  wind.  In  half  an  hour  a  new 
topsail-yard  was  ready,  and  that  sail  was  again  hoisted.  The 
Antelope  had  now  got  three  miles  away  from  the  lugger.  As 
the  sail  sheeted  home,  the  second-mate  shouted  from  aloft : 
"There  is  a  sail  on  the  weather-bow,  sir!  She  is  close- 
hauled,  and  sailing  across  our  head." 

"I  see  her,"  the  captain  replied.  "We  ought  to  have 
noticed  her  before,  Mr.  Probert.  We  have  all  been  so  busy 
that  we  haven't  been  keeping  a  look-out.  What  do  you 
make  her  to  be,  Joe?  "  he  said  to  the  second-mate. 

"I  should  say  she  was  a  French  frigate,  sir." 

The  captain  ascended  the  shrouds  with  his  glass,  remained 
there  two  or  three  minutes  watching  the  ship,  and  then  re- 
turned to  the  deck. 

"  She  is  a  frigate  certainly,  Mr.  Probert,  and  by  the  cut 
of  her  sails  I  should  say  a  Frenchman.  We  are  in  an  awk- 
ward fix.  She  has  got  the  weather-gage  of  us.  Do  you 
think  if  we  put  up  helm  and  ran  due  north  we  should  come 
out  ahead  of  her? " 

The  mate  shook  his  head. 

"Not  if  the  wind  freshens,   sir,  as  I  think  it  will.     I 


106  HELD    FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

should  say  we  had  best  haul  our  wind,  and  make  for  one  of 
the  Spanish  ports.     We  might  get  into  Santander." 

"Yes,  that  would  be  our  best  chance.  All  hands  'bout 
ship !  " 

The  vessel's  head  was  brought  up  into  the  wind  and  payed 
off  on  the  other  tack,  heading  south,  the  frigate  being  now  on 
her  weather-quarter.  This  course  took  the  brig  within  a  mile 
and  a  half  of  the  lugger,  which  fired  a  few  harmless  shots  at 
her.  When  she  had  passed  beyond  the  range  of  her  guns 
she  shaped  her  course  south-east  by  east  for  Santander,  the 
frigate  being  now  dead  astern.  The  men  were  then  piped 
to  dinner. 

"Is  she  likely  to  catch  us,  sir?"  Bob  asked  as  they  sat 
down  to  table. 

"  I  hope  not,  lad.  I  don't  think  she  will,  unless  the  wind 
freshens  a  good  deal.  If  it  did,  she  would  come  up  hand 
over  hand.  I  take  it  she  is  twelve  miles  off  now.  It  is 
four  bells,  and  she  has  only  got  five  hours'  daylight  at  most. 
However  fast  she  is,  she  ought  not  to  gain  a  knot  and  a  half 
an  hour  in  this  breeze;  and  if  we  are  five  or  six  miles  ahead 
when  it  gets  dark  we  can  change  our  course.  There  is  no 
moon." 

They  were  not  long  below. 

"The  lugger  is  under  sail  again,  sir,"  the  second-mate, 
who  was  on  duty,  said  as  they  gained  the  deck. 

"They  haven't  been  long  getting  up  a  jury-mast,"  Captain 
Lockett  said,  "that  is  the  best  of  a  lug  rig.  Still,  they  have 
a  smart  crew  on  board."  He  directed  his  glass  towards  the 
lugger,  which  was  some  five  miles  away.  "It  is  a  good- 
sized  spar,"  he  said,  "  nearly  as  lofty  as  the  foremast.  She  is 
carrying  her  mainsail  with  two  reefs  in  it,  and  with  the  wind 
on  her  quarter  is  travelling  pretty  nearly  as  fast  as  she  did 
before.  Still,  she  can't  catch  us,  and  she  knows  it.  Do  you 
see,  Air.  Probert,  she  is  bearing  rather  more  to  the  north. 
She  reckons,  I  fancy,  that  after  it  gets  dark  we  may  try  to 
throw  the  frigate  out  and  may  make  up  that  way,  in  which 


A   FRENCH   PRIVATEER.  107 

case  she  would  have  a  good  chance  of  cutting  us  off.  That 
is  awkward,  for  the  frigate  will  know  that,  and  will  guess 
that  instead  of  wearing  round  that  way  we  shall  be  more 
likely  to  make  the  other." 

"That  is  so,"  the  mate  agreed.  "Still  we  shall  have  the 
choice  of  either  hauling  our  wind  and  making  south  by  west, 
or  of  running  on,  and  she  can't  tell  which  we  shall  choose." 

"That  is  right  enough.  It  is  just  a  toss  up.  If  we  run 
and  she  runs  she  will  overtake  us,  if  we  haul  up  close  into 
the  wind  and  she  does  the  same  she  will  overtake  us  again; 
but  if  we  do  one  thing  and  she  does  the  other,  we  are  safe. 
Then,  again,  we  may  give  her  more  westing  after  it  gets 
dark,  and  bear  the  same  course  the  lugger  is  taking.  She 
certainly  won't  gain  on  us,  and  I  fancy  we  shall  gain  a  bit 
on  her.  Then  in  the  morning,  if  the  frigate  is  out  of  sight, 
we  can  make  for  Santander,  which  will  be  pretty  nearly 
due  south  of  us  then;  or  if  the  lugger  is  left  well  astern  we 
can  make  a  leg  north,  and  then  get  on  our  old  course  again 
for  Cape  Ortegal.  The  lugger  would  see  it  was  of  no  use 
chasing  us  any  further." 

"Yes,  I  think  that  is  the  best  plan  of  the  three,  captain. 
I  see  the  frigate  is  coming  up;  I  can  just  make  out  the  line 
of  her  hull.     She  must  be  a  fast  craft." 

The  hours  passed  on  slowly.  Fortunately  the  wind  did 
not  freshen,  and  the  vessels  maintained  their  respective 
positions  towards  each  other.  The  frigate  was  coming  up, 
but  when  it  began  to  get  dusk  she  was  still  some  six  miles 
astern.  The  lugger  was  five  miles  away  on  the  lee-quarter, 
and  three  miles  north-east  of  the  frigate.  She  was  still  pur- 
suing a  line  that  would  take  her  four  miles  to  the  north  of 
the  brig's  present  position.  The  coast  of  Spain  could  be 
seen  stretching  along  to  the  southward.  Another  hour  and 
it  was  perfectly  dark,  and  even  with  the  night-glasses  the 
frigate  could  no  longer  be  made  out. 

"Starboard  your  helm,"  the  captain  said  to  the  man  at 
the  wheel.     "Lay  her  head  due  east." 


108  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

"I  fancy  the  wind  is  dying  away,  sir,"  Mr.  Probert  said. 

"So  long  as  it  don't  come  a  stark  calm,  I  don't  care,"  the 
captain  replied.  "That  would  be  the  worst  thing  that  could 
happen,  for  we  should  have  the  frigate's  boats  after  us;  but 
a  light  breeze  would  suit  us  admirably." 

Two  hours  later  the  wind  had  almost  died  out. 

"We  will  take  all  the  sails  off  her,  Mr.  Probert.  If  the 
frigate  keeps  on  the  course  she  is  steering  when  we  last  saw 
her,  she  will  go  two  miles  to  the  south  of  us,  and  the  lugger 
will  go  more  than  that  to  the  north.  If  they  hold  on  all 
night  they  will  be  hull  down  before  morning,  and  we  shall 
be  to  windward  of  them,  and  with  the  wind  light  the  frigate 
would  never  catch  us,  and  we  know  the  lugger  wouldn't  with 
her  reduced  sails." 

In  a  few  minutes  all  the  sails  were  lowered,  and  the  brig 
lay  motionless.  For  the  next  two  hours  the  closest  watch 
was  kept,  but  nothing  was  seen  of  the  pursuing  vessels. 

"  I  fancy  the  frigate  mUst  have  altered  her  course  more  to 
the  south,"  the  captain  said,  "thinking  that,  as  the  lugger 
was  up  north,  we  should  be  likely  to  haul  our  wind  in  that 
direction.  We  will  wait  another  hour,  and  then  get  up  sail 
again  and  lay  her  head  for  Cape  Ortegal." 

When  the  morning  broke  the  brig  was  steering  west.  No 
sign  of  the  lugger  was  visible,  but  from  the  tops  the  upper 
sails  of  the  frigate  could  be  seen  close  under  the  land,  away 
to  the  south-east. 

"Just  as  I  thought,"  the  captain  said,  rubbing  his  hands 
in  high  glee.  "  She  hauled  her  wind  as  soon  as  it  was  dark 
and  stood  in  for  the  coast,  thinking  we  should  do  the  same. 
We  are  well  out  of  that  scrape." 

Two  days  later  the  brig  dropped  her  anchor  in  the  Tagus, 
where  three  English  ships  of  war  were  lying.  A  part  of  the 
cargo  had  to  be  discharged  here,  and  the  captain  at  once 
went  ashore  to  get  a  spar  to  replace  the  topmast  carried 
away  in  the  gale. 

"We  may  fall  in  with  another  Frenchman  before  we  are 


A    FRENCH    PRIVATEER.  109 

through  the  Straits,"  he  said,  "and  I  am  not  going  to  put  to 
sea  again  like  a  lame  duck." 

Bob  went  ashore  with  the  captain,  and  was  greatly  amused 
at  the  scenes  in  the  streets  of  Lisbon. 

"You  had  better  keep  with  me,  as  I  shall  be  going  on 
board  in  an  hour.  To-morrow  you  can  come  ashore  and  see 
the  sights,  and  spend  the  day.  I  would  let  Joe  come  with 
you,  but  he  will  be  too  busy  to  be  spared,  so  you  will  have 
to  shift  for  yourself." 

Before  landing  in  the  morning  the  captain  advised  him 
not  to  go  outside  the  town. 

"You  don't  know  the  lingo,  lad,  and  might  get  into 
trouble.  You  see  there  are  always  sailors  going  ashore  from 
our  ships  of  war,  and  they  get  drunk  and  have  sprees,  and 
I  don't  fancy  they  are  favourites  with  the  lower  class  here, 
although  the  shopkeepers  of  course  are  glad  enough  to  have 
their  money;  but  I  don't  think  it  would  be  safe  for  a  lad  like 
you,  who  can't  speak  a  word  of  the  language,  to  wander 
about  outside  the  regular  streets.  There  will  be  plenty  for 
you  to  see  without  going  further." 

As  Bob  was  a  good  deal  impressed  with  the  narrow  escape 
he  had  had  from  capture,  he  was  by  no  means  inclined  to 
run  any  risk  of  getting  into  a  scrape  and  perhaps  missing 
his  passage  out.  He  therefore  strictly  obeyed  the  captain's 
instructions,  and  when,  just  as  he  was  going  down  to  the 
landing-stage  where  the  boat  was  to  come  ashore  for  him, 
he  came  upon  a  party  of  half-drunken  sailors  engaged  in 
a  vigorous  fight  with  a  number  of  Portuguese  civil  guards, 
he  turned  down  a  side  street  to  avoid  getting  mixed  up  in 
the  fray,  repressing  his  strong  impulse  to  join  in  by  the  side 
of  his  countrymen.  On  his  mentioning  this  to  the  captain 
when  he  reached  the  brig,  the  latter  said : 

"  It  is  lucky  that  you  kept  clear  of  the  row.  It  is  all 
nonsense  talking  about  countrymen;  it  wasn't  an  affair  of 
nationality  at  all.  Nobody  would  think  of  interfering  if  he 
saw  a  party  of  drunken  sailors  in  an  English  port  fighting 


110  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

with  the  constables.  If  he  did  interfere,  it  ought  to  be  on 
the  side  of  the  law.  Why,  then,  should  anyone  take  the 
part  of  drunken  sailors  in  a  foreign  port  against  the  guardi- 
ans of  the  peace?  To  do  so  is  an  act  of  the  grossest  folly. 
In  the  first  place,  the  chances  are  in  favour  of  getting  your 
head  laid  open  with  a  sword-cut.  These  fellows  know  they 
don't  stand  a  chance  against  Englishmen's  fists,  and  they 
very  soon  whip  out  their  swords.  In  the  second  place,  you 
would  have  to  pass  the  night  in  a  crowded  lock-up,  where 
you  would  be  half  smothered  before  morning.  And  lastly, 
if  you  were  lucky  enough  not  to  get  a  week's  confinement 
in  jail,  you  would  have  a  smart  fine  to  pay.  There  is  plenty 
of  fighting  to  be  done  in  days  like  these ;  but  people  should 
see  that  they  fight  on  the  right  side,  and  not  be  taking  the 
part  of  every  drunken  scamp  who  gets  into  trouble  simply 
because  he  happens  to  be  an  Englishman. 

"  You  showed  plenty  of  pluck,  lad,  when  the  balls  were 
flying  about  the  other  day;  and  when  I  see  your  uncle  I  am 
sure  he  will  be  pleased  when  I  tell  him  how  well  you  be- 
haved under  fire;  but  I  am  equally  certain  he  would  not 
have  been  by  any  means  gratified  at  hearing  that  I  had  had 
to  leave  you  behind  at  Lisbon,  either  with  a  broken  head  or 
in  prison,  through  getting  into  a  street  row,  in  which  you  had 
no  possible  concern,  between  drunken  sailors  and  the  Portu- 
guese civil  guards." 

Bob  saw  that  the  captain  was  perfectly  right,  and  said  so 
frankly.  "  I  see  I  should  have  been  a  fool  indeed  if  I  had 
got  into  the  row,  captain,  and  I  shall  remember  what  you 
say  in  future.     Still,  you  know,  I  didn't  get  into  it." 

"No,  I  give  you  credit  for  that,  lad;  but  you  acknow- 
ledge your  strong  impulse  to  do  so.  Now,  in  future  you 
had  better  have  an  impulse  just  the  other  way,  and  when 
you  find  yourself  in  the  midst  of  a  row  in  which  you  have 
no  personal  concern,  let  your  first  thought  be  how  to  get  out 
of  it  as  quickly  as  you  can.  I  got  into  more  than  one 
scrape  myself  when  I  was  a  young  fellow  from  the  conduct 


A    FRENCH    PRIVATEER.  Ill 

of  messmates  who  had  got  too  much  liquor  in  them;  but  it 
did  them  no  good,  and  did  me  harm.  So  take  my  advice  : 
fight  your  own  battles,  but  never  interfere  to  fight  other 
people's  unless  you  are  absolutely  convinced  that  they  are  in 
the  right.  If  you  are,  stick  by  them  as  long  as  you  have  a 
leg  to  stand  upon." 


CHAPTER   VI. 


THE    ROCK    FORTRESS. 


ON  the  third  day  after  her  arrival  at  Lisbon  the  Antelope 's 
anchor  was  hove  up,  and  she  dropped  down  the  river. 
Half  an  hour  later  a  barque  and  another  brig  came  out  and 
joined  her,  the  three  captains  having  agreed  the  day  before 
that  they  would  sail  in  company,  as  they  were  all  bound 
though  the  Straits.  Captain  Lockett  had  purchased  two 
14-pounder  guns  at  Lisbon,  and  the  brig,  therefore,  now 
carried  three  guns  on  each  side  besides  her  long  18-pounder. 
The  barque  carried  fourteen  guns,  and  the  other  brig  ten;  so 
that  they  felt  confident  of  being  able  to  beat  off  any  French 
privateer  they  might  meet  on  the  way.  One  or  two  suspi- 
cious sails  were  sighted  as  they  ran  down  the  coast,  but 
none  of  these  approached  within  gun-shot,  the  three  craft 
being  evidently  too  strong  to  be  meddled  with.  Rounding 
Cape  St.  Vincent  at  a  short  distance  they  steered  for  the 
mouth  of  the  Straits.  After  the  bold  cliffs  of  Portugal,  Bob 
was  disappointed  with  the  aspect  of  the  Spanish  coast. 

"Ah!  it  is  all  very  well,"  the  first-mate  replied  when  he 
expressed  his  opinion.  "Give  me  your  low  sandy  shores, 
and  let  those  who  like  have  what  you  call  the  fine  bold  rocks. 
Mind,  I  don't  mean  coasts  with  sand-banks  lying  off  them, 
but  a  coast  with  a  shelving  beach  and  pretty  deep  water 
right  up  to  it.  If  you  get  cast  on  a  coast  like  that  of 
Portugal  it  is  certain  death.  Your  ship  will  get  smashed 
up  like  an  egg-shell  against  those  rocks  you  are  talking  of, 
and  not  a  soul  gets  a  chance  of  escape;  while  if  you  are 
blown  on  a  flat  coast  you  may  get  carried  within  a  ship's 


THE    ROCK    FORTRESS.  113 

length  of  the  beach  before  you  strike,  and  it  is  hard  if  you 
can't  get  a  line  on  shore;  besides,  it  is  ten  to  one  the  ship 
won't  break  up  for  hours.  No;  you  may  get  a  landsman  to 
admire  your  bold  cliffs,  but  you  won't  get  a  sailor  to  agree 
with  him." 

"  We  seem  to  be  going  along  fast,  although  there  is  not 
much  wind." 

"  Yes,  there  is  a  strong  current.  You  see,  the  rivers  that 
fall  into  the  Mediterranean  ain't  sufficient  to  make  up  for 
the  loss  by  evaporation,  and  so  there  is  always  a  current 
running  in  here.  It  is  well  enough  for  us  going  east,  but  it 
is  not  so  pleasant  when  you  want  to  come  out.  Then  you 
have  got  to  wait  till  you  can  get  a  breeze  from  somewhere 
about  east  to  carry  you  out.  I  have  been  kept  waiting 
sometimes  for  weeks,  and  it  is  no  unusual  thing  to  see  two 
or  three  hundred  ships  anchored,  waiting  for  the  wind  to 
change." 

"Are  there  any  pirates  over  on  that  side?"  Bob  asked, 
looking  across  at  the  African  coast. 

"  Not  about  here.  Ceuta  lies  over  there.  They  are  good 
friends  with  us,  and  Gibraltar  gets  most  of  its  supplies  from 
there.  But  once  through  the  Straits  we  give  that  coast  a 
wide  berth,  for  the  Algerine  pirates  are  nearly  as  bad  as  ever, 
and  would  snap  up  any  ship  becalmed  on  their  coast,  or  that 
had  the  bad  luck  to  be  blown  ashore.  I  hope  some  day  we 
shall  send  a  fleet  down  and  blow  the  place  about  their  ears. 
It  makes  one's  blood  boil  to  think  that  there  are  hundreds 
and  hundreds  of  Englishmen  working  as  slaves  among  the 
Moors.  There,  do  you  see  that  projecting  point  with  a  fort 
on  it,  and  a  town  lying  behind?  That  is  Tarifa.  That 
used  to  be  a  great  place  in  the  time  when  the  Moors  were 
masters  in  Spain." 

"Yes,"  the  captain,  who  had  just  joined  them,  said. 
"Tarif  was  a  great  Moorish  commander,  I  have  heard,  and 
the  place  is  named  after  him.  Gibraltar  is  also  named  after 
a  Moorish  chief  called  Tarik  ibn  Zeyad." 


114  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

Bob  looked  surprised.  "I  don't  see  that  it  is  much  like 
his  name,  captain." 

"No,  Master  Repton,  it  doesn't  sound  much  like  it  now. 
The  old  name  of  the  place  was  Gebel  Tarik,  which  means 
Tarik's  Hill,  and  it  is  easy  to  see  how  Gebel  Tarik  got 
gradually  changed  into  Gibraltar." 

In  another  two  hours  the  Straits  were  passed,  and  the 
Rock  of  Gibraltar  appeared  rising  across  a  bay  to  the  left. 

"  There  is  your  destination,  lad, "  the  captain  said.  "  It  is 
a  strong-looking  place,  isn't  it?  " 

"It  is,  indeed,  Captain,"  Bob  said,  taking  the  captain's 
glass  from  the  top  of  the  skylight  and  examining  the  Rock. 

"You  see,"  the  captain  went  on,  "the  Rock  is  divided 
from  the  mainland  by  that  low  spit  of  sand.  It  is  only  a 
few  hundred  yards  wide,  and  the  sea  goes  round  at  the  back 
of  the  Rock  and  along  the  other  side  of  that  spit,  though  you 
can't  see  it  from  here;  so  anything  coming  to  attack  it  must 
advance  along  the  spit  under  the  fire  of  the  guns.  There,  do 
you  see  that  building  standing  upon  the  hill  above  the 
town?  That  is  the  old  Moorish  castle,  and  there  are  plenty 
of  modern  batteries  scattered  about  near  it,  though  you  can't 
see  them.  You  see,  the  Rock  rises  sheer  up  from  the  spit, 
and  it  is  only  on  this  side,  close  to  the  water's  edge,  that  the 
place  can  be  entered.  The  weak  side  of  the  place  is  along 
this  sea  face.  On  the  other  side  the  Rock  rises  right  out  of 
the  water,  but  on  this  side,  as  you  see,  it  slopes  gradually 
down. 

"There  are  batteries  all  along  by  the  water's  edge;  but  if 
the  place  were  attacked  by  a  fleet  strong  enough  to  knock 
those  batteries  to  pieces,  and  silence  their  guns,  a  landing 
could  be  effected.  At  the  southern  end  you  see  the  rocks 
are  bolder,  and  there  is  no  landing  there.  That  is  called 
Europa  Point,  and  there  is  a  battery  there,  though  you  can't 
make  it  out  from  here." 

The  scene  was  a  very  pretty  one,  and  Bob  watched  it  with 
the  greatest  interest.     A  frigate  and  two  men-of-war  brigs 


THE   ROCK   FORTRESS.  115 

were  anchored  at  some  little  distance  from  the  Rock,  and 
around  them  were  some  thirty  or  forty  merchantmen  waiting 
for  a  change  in  the  wind  to  enable  them  to  sail  out  through 
the  Straits.  White-sailed  boats  were  gliding  about  among 
them.  At  the  head  of  the  bay  were  villages  nestled  among 
trees,  while  the  country  behind  was  broken  and  hilly.  On 
the  opposite  side  of  the  bay  was  a  town  of  considerable  size, 
which  the  captain  told  him  was  Algeciras.  It  was,  he  said, 
a  large  town  at  the  time  of  the  Moors,  very  much  larger  and 
more  important  than  Gibraltar. 

The  ground  rose  gradually  behind  it,  and  was  completely 
covered  with  foliage,  orchards,  and  orange  groves.  The 
captain  said:  "  You  see  that  rock  rising  at  the  end  of  the 
bay  from  among  the  trees,  lad?  That  is  called  'the  Queen 
of  Spain's  Chair.'  It  is  said  that  at  a  certain  siege  when  the 
Moors  were  here  the  then  Queen  of  Spain  took  her  seat  on 
that  rock  and  declared  she  would  never  go  away  till  Gibraltar 
was  taken.  She  also  took  an  oath  never  to  change  her  linen 
until  it  surrendered.  I  don't  know  how  she  managed  about 
it  at  last,  for  the  place  never  did  surrender.  I  suppose  she 
got  a  dispensation,  and  was  able  to  get  into  clean  clothes 
again  some  day.  I  have  heard  tell  that  the  Spaniards  have 
a  colour  that  is  called  by  her  name — a  sort  of  dirty  yellow; 
it  came  out  at  that  time.  Of  course  it  would  not  have  been 
etiquette  for  other  ladies  to  wear  white  when  her  majesty 
was  obliged  to  wear  dingy  garments ;  so  they  all  took  to  hav- 
ing their  things  dyed  so  as  to  match  hers,  and  the  tint  has 
borne  her  name  ever  since." 

"It  is  a  very  nasty  idea,"  Bob  said;  "and  I  should  think 
she  took  pretty  good  care  afterwards  not  to  take  any  oaths. 
It  is  hot  enough  now,  and  I  should  think  in  summer  it  must 
be  baking  here." 

"It  is  pretty  hot  on  the  Rock  in  summer.  You  know 
they  call  the  natives  of  the  place  Rock  scorpions.  Scorpions 
are  supposed  to  like  heat,  though  I  don't  know  whether  they 
do.     You  generally  find  them  lying  under  pieces  of  loose 


116  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

rock,  but  whether  they  do  it  for  heat  or  to  keep  themselves 
cool  I  can't  say.  Now,  Mr.  Probert,  you  may  as  well  take 
some  of  the  sail  off  her.  We  will  anchor  inside  those  craft 
close  to  the  New  Mole.  They  may  want  to  get  her  along- 
side to  unload  the  government  stores  we  have  brought  out, 
and  the  nearer  we  are  in  the  less  trouble  it  will  be  to  warp 
her  alongside  to-morrow  morning.  Of  course,  if  the  land- 
ing-place is  full  they  will  send  lighters  out  to  us." 

The  sails  were  gradually  got  off  the  brig,  and  she  had  but 
little  way  on  when  her  anchor  was  dropped  a  cable's  length 
from  the  end  of  the  Mole.  Scarcely  had  she  brought  up 
when  a  boat  shot  out  from  the  end  of  the  pier. 

"Hooray!"  Bob  shouted.  "There  are  my  sister  and 
Gerald." 

"1  thought  as  much,"  the  captain  said.  "We  hoisted 
our  number  as  soon  as  we  came  round  the  point,  and  the 
signal  station  on  the  top  of  the  Rock  would  send  down  the 
news  directly  they  made  out  our  colours." 

"Well,  Bob,  it  gave  me  quite  a  turn,"  his  sister  said 
after  the  first  greetings  were  over,  "  when  we  saw  how  the 
sails  were  all  patched,  and  everyone  said  that  the  ship 
must  have  been  in  action.  I  was  very  anxious  till  I  saw 
your  head  above  the  bulwarks." 

"  Yes,  we  have  been  in  a  storm  and  a  fight,  and  we  came 
pretty  near  being  taken.     Did  you  get  out  all  right?  " 

"Yes,  we  had  a  very  quiet  voyage." 

The  captain  then  came  up  and  was  introduced.  "I  have 
a  box  or  two  for  you,  madam,  in  addition  to  your  brother's 
kit.  Mr.  Bale  sent  them  down  a  couple  of  days  before  we 
sailed.  At  one  time  it  didn't  seem  likely  that  you  would 
ever  see  their  contents,  for  we  had  a  very  close  shave  of  it. 
In  the  first  place,  we  had  about  as  bad  a  gale  as  I  have  met 
with  in  crossing  the  bay,  and  were  blown  into  the  bight 
with  the  loss  of  our  bowsprit,  fore-topmast  and  four  of  our 
guns  that  we  had  to  throw  overboard  to  lighten  her.  Then  a 
French  lugger,  that  would  have  been  a  good  deal  more  than 


THE    ROCK    FORTRESS.  117 

a  match  for  her  at  any  time,  came  up.  We  might  have  out- 
sailed her  if  we  could  have  carried  all  our  canvas,  but  with 
only  a  jury-topmast  she  was  too  fast  for  us.  As  you  may 
see  by  our  sails,  we  had  a  smart  fight;  but,  by  the  greatest 
good  fortune,  we  knocked  the  mainmast  out  of  her.  Then 
we  were  chased  by  a  French  frigate  with  the  lugger  to  help 
her.  However,  we  gave  them  the  slip  in  the  night,  and 
here  we  are.  I  am  afraid  you  won't  get  your  brother's 
boxes  till  to-morrow;  nothing  can  go  ashore  till  the  port 
officer  has  been  on  board  and  the  usual  formalities  gone 
through.  I  don't  know  yet  whether  we  shall  discharge  into 
lighters  or  go  alongside,  but  I  will  have  your  boxes  all  put 
together  in  readiness  for  you  the  first  thing  in  the  morning 
whichever  way  it  is." 

"We  shall  be  very  glad  if  you  will  dine  with  us  to- 
morrow," Captain  O'Halloran  said.  "We  dine  at  one 
o'clock,  or  if  that  would  be  inconvenient  for  you,  come  to 
supper  at  seven." 

"I  would  rather  do  that,  if  you  will  let  me,"  Captain 
Lockett  replied.  "  I  shall  be  pretty  busy  to-morrow,  and 
you  military  gentlemen  do  give  us  such  a  lot  of  trouble  in 
the  way  of  papers,  documents,  and  signatures,  that  I  never 
like  leaving  the  ship  till  I  get  rid  of  the  last  bale  and  box 
with  the  government  brand  on  it." 

"Very  well,  then;  we  shall  expect  you  to  supper." 

"I  shall  come  down  first  thing  in  the  morning,  captain," 
Bob  said,  "so  I  need  not  say  good-bye  to  anyone  now." 

"  You  had  better  bring  only  what  you  may  want  with 
you  for  the  night,  Bob,"  his  sister  put  in,  as  he  was  about  to 
run  below.  "The  cart  will  take  everything  else  up  together 
in  the  morning." 

"Then  I  shall  be  ready  in  a  minute,"  Bob  said,  running 
below,  and  it  was  not  much  more  before  he  reappeared  with 
a  small  hand-bag. 

"I  shall  see  you  again  to-morrow,  Mr.  Probert.  I  shall 
be  here  about  our  luggage;  "  and  he  took  his  place  in  the 


118  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

boat  beside  the  others,  who  had  already  descended  the 
ladder. 

"And  you  have  had  a  pleasant  voyage,  Bob?"  Captain 
O'Halloran  asked. 

"Very  jolly,  Gerald;  first-rate.  Captain  Lockett  was  as 
kind  as  could  be;  and  the  first-mate  was  very  good  too, 
though  I  did  not  think  he  would  be  when  I  first  saw  him; 
and  Joe  Lockett,  the  second-mate,  is  a  capital  fellow." 

"But  how  was  it  that  you  did  not  take  that  French 
privateer,  Bob?  With  a  fellow  like  you  on  board,  the 
capturer  of  a  gang  of  burglars  and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  I 
should  have  thought  that  instead  of  running  away  you  would 
have  gone  straight  at  her,  that  you  would  have  thrown 
yourself  on  her  deck  at  the  head  of  the  boarders,  would 
have  beaten  the  Frenchmen  below,  killed  their  captain  in 
single  combat,  and  hauled  down  their  flag." 

"There  is  no  saying  what  I  might  have  done,"  Bob 
laughed,  "if  it  had  come  to  boarding;  but  as  it  was,  I  did 
not  feel  the  least  wish  for  a  closer  acquaintance  with  the 
privateer.  It  was  too  close  to  be  pleasant  as  it  was,  a  good 
deal  too  close.  It  is  a  pity  you  were  not  there  to  have  set 
me  an  example." 

"I  am  going  to  do  that  now,  Bob,  and  I  hope  you  will 
profit  by  it.  Now,  then,  you  jump  out  first  and  give  Carrie 
your  hand.  That  is  it."  And  having  settled  with  the 
boatman,  Captain  O'Halloran  followed  the  others'  steps. 

It  was  a  busy  scene.  Three  ships  were  discharging  their 
cargoes,  and  the  wharf  was  covered  with  boxes  and  bales, 
piles  of  shot  and  shell,  guns,  and  cases  of  ammunition. 
Fatigue  parties  of  artillery  and  infantry  men  were  piling 
the  goods  or  stowing  them  in  hand-carts.  Goods  were  being 
slung  down  from  the  ships,  and  were  swinging  in  the  air 
or  run  down  to  the  cry  of  "  Look  below  !  " 

"Mind  how  you  go,  Carrie,"  Captain  O'Halloran  said, 
"  or  you  will  be  getting  what  brains  you  have  knocked  out." 

"If  that  is  all  the  danger,  Gerald,"  she  laughed,  "you  are 


THE   ROCK    FORTRESS.  119 

safe,  anyhow.  Now,  Bob,  do  look  out !  "  she  broke  off,  as 
while  glancing  round  he  tripped  over  a  hawser  and  fell. 
"Are  you  hurt?  " 

"  Never  mind  him,  Carrie, — look  out  for  yourself.  A  boy 
never  gets  hurt.  Now,  keep  your  eyes  about  you,  Bob ! 
You  can  come  and  look  at  all  this  any  day." 

At  last  they  got  to  the  end  of  the  Mole,  then  they  passed 
under  an  archway  with  a  massive  gate  at  which  stood  a 
sentry,  then  they  found  themselves  in  a  sort  of  yard  sur- 
rounded by  a  high  wall,  on  the  top  of  which  two  cannon 
were  pointed  down  upon  them.  Crossing  the  yard,  they 
passed  through  another  gateway.  The  ground  here  rose 
sharply,  and  a  hundred  yards  further  back  stood  another 
battery,  completely  commanding  the  Mole  and  the  defences 
through  which  they  had  passed.  The  ground  here  was  com- 
paratively level,  rising  gradually  to  the  foot  of  the  rock, 
which  then  rose  steeply  up.  A  few  houses  were  scattered 
about,  surrounded  by  gardens.  Hedges  of  cactus  lined  the 
road.  Parties  of  soldiers  and  sailors,  natives  with  carts,  and 
women  in  picturesque  costumes  passed  along.  1  he  vegeta- 
tion on  the  low  ground  was  abundant,  and  Bob  looked  with 
delight  at  the  semi-tropical  foliage.  Turning  to  the  right 
they  followed  the  road,  passed  under  an  archway  in  a  strong 
wall,  and  were  in  the  town  itself. 

"We  are  not  living  in  barracks,"  Carrie  said.  "For- 
tunately there  was  no  room  there,  and  we  draw  lodging 
allowance,  and  have  taken  the  upper  portion  of  a  Spanish 
house.  It  is  much  more  pleasant.  Besides,  if  we  had  had 
to  live  in  quarters  we  should  have  had  no  room  for  you." 

"The  streets  are  steep,"  Bob  said.  "I  can't  make  out 
how  these  little  donkeys  keep  their  feet  on  the  slippery 
stones  with  those  heavy  loads.  Oh !  I  say,  there  are  two 
rum-looking  chaps.     What  are  they — Moors?  " 

"Yes.  You  will  see  lots  of  them  here,  Bob.  They  come 
across  from  Ceuta,  and  there  are  some  of  them  established 
here  as  traders.     What  with  the  Moors,  and  Spaniards,  and 


120  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

Jews,  and  the  sailors  from  the  shipping,  you  can  hear  pretty 
nearly  every  European  language  spoken  in  one  walk  through 
the  streets." 

"Oh,  I  say,  isn't  it  hot!  "  Bob  exclaimed,  mopping  his 
face;  "and  isn't  there  a  glare  from  all  these  white  walls  and 
houses!     How  much  higher  is  it?  " 

"About  another  hundred  yards,  Bob.  There,  you  see, 
we  are  getting  beyond  the  streets  now." 

They  had  now  reached  a  flat  shoulder,  and  on  this  the 
houses  were  somewhat  scattered,  standing  in  little  inclosures 
with  hedges  of  cactus  and  geranium,  and  embowered  in 
shrubs  and  flowers. 

"  This  is  our  house/'  Carrie  said,  stopping  before  a  rickety 
wooden  gateway,  hung  upon  two  massive  posts  of  masonry. 
"You  see  we  have  got  a  flight  of  steps  outside,  and  we  are 
quite  cut  off  from  the  people  below." 

They  ascended  the  stairs.  At  the  top  there  was  a  sort  of 
wide  porch  with  a  wooden  roof,  which  was  completely 
covered  with  creepers  growing  from  two  wooden  tubs. 
Four  or  five  plants  covered  with  blossoms  stood  on  the  low 
walls,  and  two  or  three  chairs  showed  that  the  little  terrace 
was  used  as  an  open-air  sitting-room. 

"  In  another  hour,  when  the  sun  gets  lower,  Bob,  we  can 
come  and  sit  here.     It  is  a  lovely  view,  isn't  it?  " 

"  Beautiful !  "  Bob  said,  leaning  on  the  wall.  Below  them 
lay  the  sea  front  with  its  gardens  and  bright  foliage  and 
pretty  houses,  with  Europa  Point  and  the  sea  stretching  away 
beyond  it.  A  little  to  the  right  were  the  African  hills, 
and  then,  turning  slightly  round,  the  Spanish  coast  with 
Algeciras  nestled  in  foliage,  and  the  bay  with  all-its  shipping. 
The  head  of  the  bay  was  hidden,  for  the  ground  behind 
was  higher  than  that  on  which  the  house  stood. 

"Come  in,  Bob,"  Captain  O'Halloran  said.  "You  had 
better  get  out  of  the  sun.  Of  course  it  is  nothing  to  what 
it  will  be;  but  it  is  hot  now,  and  we  are  none  of  us  acclima- 
tized yet." 


THE   ROCK   FORTRESS.  121 

The  rooms  were  of  a  fair  size,  but  the  light-coloured  walls 
gave  them  a  bare  appearance  to  Bob's  eyes.  They  were, 
however,  comfortably  furnished,  matting  being  laid  down 
instead  of  carpets. 

"It  is  cooler  and  cheaper,"  Carrie  said,  seeing  Bob  look- 
ing at  them.  "This  is  your  room,  and  this  is  the  kitchen," 
and  she  opened  the  door  into  what  seemed  to  Bob  a  tiny 
place  indeed.  Across  one  end  was  a  mass  of  brickwork 
rather  higher  than  an  ordinary  table.  Several  holes  a  few 
inches  deep  were  scattered  about  over  this.  In  some  of 
these  small  charcoal  fires  were  burning,  and  pots  were  placed 
over  them.  There  were  small  openings  from  the  front 
leading  to  these  tiny  fireplaces,  and  a  Spanish  girl  was  driv- 
ing the  air  into  one  of  these  with  a  fan  when  they  entered. 

"This  is  my  brother,  Manola,"  Mrs.  O'Halloran  said. 

The  girl  smiled  and  nodded,  and  then  continued  her  work. 

"She  speaks  English?  "  Bob  said  as  they  went  out. 

"  She  belongs  to  the  Rock,  Bob.  Almost  all  the  natives 
here  talk  a  little  English." 

"Where  do  these  steps  lead  to?  I  thought  we  were  at 
the  top  of  the  house." 

"Come  up  and  see,"  Carrie  said,  leading  the  way. 

Following  her,  Bob  found  himself  on  a  flat  terrace  ex- 
tending over  the  whole  of  the  house.  Several  orange-trees 
in  tubs,  and  many  flowers  and  small  shrubs  in  pots  stood 
upon  it,  and  three  or  four  light  cane-work  lounging-chairs 
stood  apart. 

"  Here  is  where  we  come  when  the  sun  is  down,  Bob. 
There  is  no  finer  view,  we  flatter  ourselves,  anywhere  in 
Gib.  Here  we  receive  our  guests  in  the  evening.  We  have 
only  begun  yet,  but  we  mean  to  make  a  perfect  garden  of  it." 

"It  is  splendid!"  Bob  said,  as  he  walked  round  by  the 
low  parapet  and  gazed  at  the  view  in  all  directions;  "  and  we 
can  see  what  everyone  else  is  doing  on  their  roofs,  and  no 
one  can  look  down  on  us  except  from  the  rock  over  there 
behind  us,  and  there  are  no  houses  there." 


122  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

"  No,  the  batteries  commanding  the  neutral  ground  lie 
over  that  crest,  Bob.  We  are  quite  shut  in  on  two  sides, 
but  we  make  up  for  it  by  the  extent  of  our  view  on  the 
others.  We  are  very  lucky  in  getting  the  place.  A  regi- 
ment went  home  in  the  transport  that  brought  us  out. 
Gerald  knew  some  of  the  officers,  and  one  of  them  had  been 
staying  here  and  told  Gerald  of  it,  and  we  took  it  at  once. 
The  other  officers'  wives  are  all  quite  jealous  of  me,  and 
though  some  of  them  have  very  nice  quarters,  it  is  admitted 
that  as  far  as  the  view  goes  this  is  by  far  the  best.  Besides, 
it  is  a  great  thing  being  out  of  the  town,  and  it  does  not 
take  Gerald  more  than  three  or  four  minutes  longer  to  get 
down  to  the  barracks.  But  now  let  us  go  downstairs.  I 
am  sure  you  must  want  something  to  eat,  and  we  sha'n't 
have  supper  for  another  three  hours." 

"I  dined  at  twelve,"  Bob  said,  "just  before  we  rounded 
the  point,  and  I  could  certainly  hold  on  until  supper-time. 
Still,  I  daresay  I  could  eat  something  now." 

"Oh,  it  is  only  a  snack!  it  is  some  stewed  chicken  and 
some  fruit.     That  won't  spoil  your   supper,  Bob?  " 

"You  will  be  glad  to  hear,  Bob,"  Captain  O'Halloran 
said  as  the  lad  was  eating  his  meal,  "that  I  have  secured 
the  services  of  a  Spanish  professor  for  you.  He  is  to  begin 
next  Monday." 

Bob's  face  fell.  "  I  don't  see  that  there  was  need  for  such 
a  hurry,"  he  said  ruefully,  laying  down  his  knife  and  fork. 
"  I  don't  see  there  was  need  for  any  hurry  at  all.  Besides, 
of  course,  I  want  to  see  the  place." 

"You  will  be  able  to  see  a  good  deal  of  it  in  four  days, 
Bob,  and  your  time  won't  be  entirely  occupied  when  you  do 
begin.  The  days  are  pretty  long  here,  everyone  gets  up 
early.  He  is  to  come  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning.  You 
have  a  cup  of  coffee  and  some  bread-and-butter  and  fruit 
before  that.  He  will  go  at  nine,  then  we  have  breakfast. 
Then  you  will  have  your  time  to  yourself  till  dinner  at  half- 
past  two.     The  assistant  surgeon  of  our  regiment,  he  is  a 


THE   ROCK    FORTRESS.  123 

Dublin  man,  will  come  to  you  for  Latin,  and  what  I  may 
call  general  knowledge,  for  two  hours.  That  is  all,  except 
I  suppose  that  you  will  work  a  bit  by  yourself  of  an  evening. 
That  is  not  so  bad,  is  it?  " 

"What  sort  of  man  is  the  assistant  surgeon?  "  Bob  replied 
cautiously.  "  It  all  depends  how  much  he  is  going  to  give 
me  to  do  in  the  evening." 

"I  don't  think  he  will  give  you  anything  to  do  in  the 
evening,  Bob.  Of  course  the  Spanish  is  the  principal  thing, 
and  I  told  him  that  you  will  have  to  work  at  that." 

"I  don't  think  you  need  be  afraid,  Bob,"  his  sister 
laughed.  "You  won't  find  Dr.  Burke  a  very  severe  kind  of 
instructor.  Nobody  but  Gerald  would  ever  have  thought  of 
choosing  him." 

"Sure,  and  didn't  you  agree  with  me,  Carrie,"  her  hus- 
band said,  in  an  aggrieved  voice,  "  that  as  we  were  not  going 
to  make  the  boy  a  parson,  and  as  it  was  too  much  to  expect 
him  to  learn  Spanish  and  a  score  of  other  things  at  once, 
that  we  ought  to  get  someone  who  would  make  his  lessons 
pleasant  for  him,  and  not  be  worrying  his  soul  out  of  his 
body  with  all  sorts  of  useless  balderdash?  " 

"Yes,  we  agreed  that,  Gerald;  but  there  was  a  limit,  and 
when  you  told  me  you  had  spoken  to  Teddy  Burke  about 
it,  and  arranged  the  matter  with  him,  I  thought  you  had 
gone  beyond  that  limit  altogether." 

"  He  is  just  the  man  for  Bob,  Carrie.  That  boy  will  find 
it  mighty  dull  here  after  a  bit,  and  will  want  someone  to 
cheer  him  up.  I  promised  the  old  gentleman  I  would  find 
him  someone  who  could  push  Bob  on  in  his  humanities,  and 
Teddy  Burke  has  taken  his  degree  at  Dublin,  and  I  will 
venture  to  say  will  get  him  on  faster  than  a  stiff  starched  man 
will  do.  Bob  would  always  be  playing  tricks  with  a  fellow 
like  that  and  be  getting  into  rows  with  him.  There  will  be 
no  playing  tricks  with  Teddy  Burke,  for  he  is  up  to  the 
whole  thing  himself." 

"  I  should  think  he  is,  Gerald.     Well,  we  will  see  how 


124  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

it  works,  anyhow.  Go  on  with  your  fowl,  Bob.  You  will 
see  all  about  it  in  good  time." 

Bob  felt  satisfied  that  the  teacher  his  brother-in-law  had 
chosen  for  him  was  not  a  very  formidable  personage,  and 
his  curiosity  as  to  what  he  would  be  like  was  satisfied  that 
evening.  After  he  had  finished  his  meal,  he  went  for  a 
stroll  with  Captain  O'Halloran  through  the  town  and  round 
the  batteries  at  that  end  of  the  Rock,  returning  to  supper. 
After  the  meal  was  over  they  went  up  to  the  terrace  above. 
There  was  not  a  breath  of  wind,  and  a  lamp  on  a  table 
there  burned  without  a  flicker.  They  had  scarcely  taken 
their  seats  when  Manola  announced  Dr.  Burke,  and  a 
minute  later  an  officer  in  uniform  made  his  appearance  on 
the  terrace.  He  wore  a  pair  of  blue  spectacles,  and  advanced 
in  a  stiff  and  formal  manner.  "  I  wish  you  a  good  evening, 
Mrs.  O'Halloran.  So  this  is  our  young  friend!  You  are 
well,  I  hope,  Master  Repton,  and  are  none  the  worse  for  the 
inconveniences  I  hear  you  have  suffered  on  your  voyage?  " 

Carrie,  to  Bob's  surprise,  burst  into  a  fit  of  laughter. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Mrs.  O'Halloran?  "  Dr.  Burke  asked, 
looking  at  her  with  an  air  of  mild  amazement. 

"  I  am  laughing  at  you,  Teddy  Burke.  How  can  you  be 
so  ridiculous?  " 

The  doctor  removed  his  spectacles. 

"Now,  Mrs.  O'Halloran,"  he  said,  with  a  strong  brogue. 
"Do  you  call  that  acting  fairly  by  me?  Didn't  you  talk  to 
me  yourself  half  an  hour  yesterday,  and  impress  upon  me 
that  I  ought  to  be  grave  and  steady  now  that  I  was  going 
to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  a  pedagogue,  and  ain't  I  trying 
my  best  to  act  up  to  your  instructions,  and  there  you  burst 
out  laughing  in  my  face  and  spoil  it  all  entirely? 

"  Gerald  said  to  me, '  Now  mind,  Teddy,  it  is  a  responsible 
affair.  The  boy  is  up  to  all  sorts  of  divarsions,  and  divil  a 
bit  will  he  attend  to  ye  if  he  finds  that  you  are  as  bad,  if  not 
worse  than  he  is  himself.'  'But,'  said  I,  'it's  Latin  and  such 
like  that  you  are  wanting  me  to  teach  him,  and  not  manners 


THE    ROCK    FORTRESS.  125 

at  all,  at  all. '  And  he  says,  '  It  is  all  one ;  it  is  quiet  and  well 
behaved  that  you  have  got  to  be,  Teddy.  The  missis  has 
been  houlding  out  about  the  iniquity  of  taking  a  spalpeen 
like  yourself,  and  it  is  for  you  to  show  her  that  she  is  mis- 
taken altogether. '  So  I  said,  'You  trust  me,  Gerald,  I  will  be 
as  grave  as  a  doctor  of  divinity.'  So  I  got  out  these  glasses, 
which  I  bought  because  they  told  me  that  they  would  be 
wanted  here  to  keep  out  the  glare  of  the  sun,  and  I  came 
here  and  spoke  as  proper  as  might  be,  and  then,  Mrs. 
O'Halloran,  you  burst  out  laughing  in  my  face  and  destroy 
the  whole  effect  of  these  spectacles  and  all. 

"Well,  we  must  make  the  best  of  a  bad  business;  and  we 
will  try  for  a  bit,  anyhow.  If  he  won't  mind  me  Gerald 
must  go  to  the  chaplain  as  he  intended  to,  and  I  pity  the 
boy  then.  I  would  rather  be  had  up  before  the  colonel  any 
day  than  have  any  matter  in  dispute  with  him." 

"You  are  too  bad,  Teddy  Burke,"  Mrs.  O'Halloran  said, 
still  laughing.  "  It  was  all  very  well  for  you  to  try  and  look 
sensible  but  to  put  on  that  face  was  too  absurd.  You 
know  you  could  not  have  kept  it  up  for  five  minutes.  No, 
I  don't  think  it  will  do;  "  and  she  looked  serious  now.  "I 
always  thought  that  it  was  out  of  the  question,  but  this 
bad  beginning  settles  it." 

But  Bob,  who  had  been  immensely  amused,  now  broke  in. 
"Why  not,  Carrie?  I  am  sure  I  should  work  better  for 
Dr.  Burke  than  I  should  for  anyone  who  was  very  strict 
and  stiff.  One  is  always  wanting  to  do  something  with  a 
man  like  that:  to  play  tricks  with  his  wig  or  pig-tail,  or 
something  of  that  sort.  You  might  let  us  try,  anyhow;  and 
if  Dr.  Burke  finds  that  I  am  not  attentive  and  don't  mind 
him,  then  you  can  put  me  with  somebody  else." 

"  Sure,  we  shall  get  on  first-rate,  Mrs.  O'  Halloran.  Gerald 
says  the  boy  is  a  sensible  boy,  and  that  he  has  been  work- 
ing very  well  under  an  old  uncle  of  yours.  He  knows  for 
himself  that  it's  no  use  his  having  a  master  if  he  isn't  going 
to  try  his  best  to  get  on.     When  1  was  at  school  I  used  to 


126  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

get  larrupped  every  day,  and  used  to  think  to  myself  what 
a  grand  thing  it  would  be  to  have  a  master  just  like  what  Dr. 
Burke,  M.D.,  Dublin,  is  now,  and  I  expect  it  is  just  about 
the  same  with  him.  We  sha'n't  work  any  the  worse  because 
maybe  we  will  joke  over  it  sometimes." 

"Very  well,  then,  we  will  try,  Teddy;  though  I  know  the 
whole  regiment  will  think  Gerald  and  I  have  gone  mad 
when  they  hear  about  it.  But  I  shall  keep  my  eye  upon  you 
both." 

"  The  more  you  keep  your  eye  upon  me  the  better  I  shall 
be  plazed,  Mrs.  O'Halloran,  saving  your  husband's  pres- 
ence," the  doctor  said  insinuatingly. 

"Do  sit  down  and  be  reasonable,  Teddy.  There  are 
cigars  in  that  box  on  the  table." 

"The  tobacco  here  almost  reconciles  one  to  living  outside 
Ireland,"  Dr.  Burke  said,  as  he  lit  a  cigar  and  seated  him- 
self in  one  of  the  comfortable  chairs.  "Just  about  a  quarter 
the  price  they  are  at  home,  and  brandy  at  one  shilling  per 
bottle.  It  is  lucky  for  the  country  that  we  don't  get  them 
at  that  price  in  Ireland,  for  it  is  mighty  few  boys  they  would 
get  to  enlist  if  they  could  get  tobacco  and  spirits  at  such 
prices  at  home." 

"I  have  been  telling  Gerald  that  it  will  be  much  better 
for  him  to  drink  claret  out  here,"  Mrs.  O'Halloran  said. 

"And  you  are  not  far  wrong,"  the  doctor  agreed;  "but  the 
native  wines  here  are  good  enough  for  me,  and  you  can  get 
them  at  sixpence  a  quart.  I  was  telling  them  at  mess  yester- 
day that  we  must  not  write  home  and  tell  them  about  it, 
or  faith  there  would  be  such  an  emigration  that  the  Rock 
wouldn't  hold  the  people,  not  if  you  were  to  build  houses 
all  over  it.  Sixpence  a  quart,  and  good  sound  tipple  !  Sure, 
it  was  a  mighty  mistake  of  Providence  that  Ireland  was 
not  dropped  down  into  the  sea  off  the  coast  of  Spain.  What 
a  country  it  would  have  been !  " 

"I  don't  know,  Teddy,"  Captain  O'Halloran  said.  "As 
the  people  don't  kill  themselves  with  overwork  now,  I  doubt 


THE    ROCK    FORTRESS.  127 

if  they  would  ever  work  at  all  if  they  had  the  excuse  of  a 
hot  climate  for  doing  nothing." 

"There  would  not  have  been  so  much  need,  Gerald. 
They  needn't  have  bothered  about  the  thatch  when  it  only 
rains  once  in  six  months  or  so;  while,  as  for  clothes,  it  is 
little  enough  they  would  have  needed.  And  the  bogs  would 
all  have  dried  up,  and  they  would  have  had  crops  without 
more  trouble  than  just  scratching  the  ground  and  sowing  in 
the  seed,  and  they  would  have  grown  oranges  instead  of 
praties.     Oh,  it  would  have  been  a  great  country  entirely !  " 

The  doctor's  three  listeners  all  went  off  into  a  burst  of 
laughter  at  the  seriousness  with  which  he  spoke. 

"But  you  would  have  had  trouble  with  your  pigs,"  Mrs. 
O'Halloran  said.  "The  Spanish  pigs  are  wild,  fiercedooking 
beasts,  and  would  never  be  content  to  share  the  cottages." 

"Ah!  but  we  would  have  had  Irish  pigs  just  the  same 
as  now.  Well,  what  do  you  think — "  and  he  broke  off 
suddenly,  sitting  upright,  and  dropping  the  brogue  alto- 
gether— "  they  were  saying  at  mess  that  the  natives  declare 
there  are  lots  of  Spanish  troops  moving  down  in  this  direc- 
tion, and  that  a  number  of  ships  are  expected  with  stores 
at  Algeciras." 

"Well,  what  of  that?  "  Mrs.  O'Halloran  asked.  "We  are 
at  peace  with  Spain.  What  does  it  matter  where  they 
move  their  troops  or  land  stores?  " 

"That  is  just  the  thing.  We  are  at  peace  with  them  sure 
enough,  but  that  is  no  reason  why  we  should  be  always  at 
peace.  You  know  how  they  hate  seeing  our  flag  flying  over 
the  Rock,  and  they  may  think  that,  now  we  have  got  our 
hands  full  with  France  and  the  American  colonists,  it  will 
be  the  right  time  for  them  to  join  in  the  scrimmage,  and 
see  if  they  can't  get  the  Rock  back  again." 

"  But  they  would  never  go  to  war  without  any  ground  of 
complaint?  " 

"I  don't  know,  Mrs.  O'Halloran.  When  one  wants  to 
pick  a  quarrel  with  a  man  it  is  always  a  mighty  easy  thing 


128  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

to  do  so.  You  can  tread  on  his  toe  and  ask  him  what  he 
put  it  there  for,  or  sit  down  on  his  hat  and  swear  that  he 
put  it  on  the  chair  on  purpose,  or  tell  him  that  you  do  not 
like  the  colour  of  his  hair,  or  that  his  nose  isn't  the  shape 
that  pleases  you.  It  is  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to 
find  something  to  quarrel  about  when  you  have  a  mind  for 
it." 

"Are  you  quite  serious,  Teddy?  " 

"  Never  more  serious  in  my  life.  Have  you  heard  about 
it,  Gerald?" 

"  I  heard  them  saying  something  about  it  when  we  were 
waiting  for  the  colonel  on  parade  this  morning,  but  I  did  not 
think  much  of  it." 

"Well,  of  course,  it  mayn't  be  true,  Gerald;  but  the 
colonel  and  major  both  seemed  to  think  that  there  was 
something  in  it.  It  seems  from  what  they  said  that  the 
governor  has  had  letters  that  seemed  to  confirm  the  news 
that  several  regiments  are  on  the  march  south,  and  that 
stores  are  being  collected  at  Cadiz  and  some  of  the  other 
seaports.  There  is  nothing,  as  far  as  we  know,  specially 
said  about  Gibraltar;  but  what  else  can  they  be  getting 
ready  for,  unless  it.  is  to  cross  the  Straits  and  attack  the 
Moors,  and  they  are  at  peace  with  them  at  present,  just  as 
they  are  with  us?  I  mean  to  think  that  they  are  coming 
here,  till  we  are  downright  sure  they  are  not.  The  news  is 
so  good  I  mean  to  believe  that  it  is  true  as  long  as  I  can." 

"For  shame,  Teddy!  "  Mrs.  O'Halloransaid.  "You  can't 
be  so  wicked  as  to  hope  that  they  are  going  to  attack  us?  " 

"  And  it  is  exactly  that  point  of  wickedness  I  have  arrived 
at,"  the  doctor  said,  again  dropping  into  the  brogue.  "  In 
the  first  place,  sha'n't  we  need  something  to  kape  us  from 
dying  entirely  of  nothing  to  do  at  all,  at  all,  in  this  weari- 
some old  place?  We  are  fresh  to  it,  and  we  are  not  tired 
yet  of  the  oranges  and  the  wine  and  the  cigars,  and  the 
quare  people  you  see  in  the  streets;  but  the  regiments  that 
have  been  here  some  time  are  just  sick  of  their  lives.    Then, 


THE    ROCK    FORTRESS.  129 

in  the  second  place,  how  am  I  going  to  learn  my  profession 
if  we  are  going  to  stop  here  quiet  and  peaceful  for  years? 
Didn't  I  come  into  the  army  to  study  gun-shot  wounds,  and 
barring  duels  divil  a  wound  have  I  seen  since  I  joined.  It's 
getting  rusty  I  am  entirely;  and  there  is  the  elegant  case  of 
instruments  my  aunt  gave  me  that  have  never  been  opened. 
By  the  same  token  I  will  have  them  out  and  oil  them  in  the 
morning." 

"  Don't  talk  in  that  way,  Teddy.  You  ought  to  be  ashamed 
of  yourself.  It  seems  to  me  that  you  are  making  a  great  to- 
do  about  nothing.  Some  soldiers  have  been  marched  some- 
where in  Spain,  and  all  this  talk  is  made  up  about  it.  They 
must  know  very  well  they  can't  take  the  Rock.  They  tried 
it  once,  and  I  should  have  thought  they  would  not  be  in  a 
hurry  to  try  it  again.  I  shall  believe  in  it  when  I  see  it. 
You  need  not  look  so  delighted,  Bob.  If  there  should  be 
any  trouble — and  it  seems  nonsense  even  to  think  about  such 
a  thing — but  if  there  should  be  any,  we  should  put  you  on 
board  the  very  first  vessel  sailing  for  England,  and  get  you 
off  our  minds." 

Bob  laughed. 

"  I  should  go  down  and  ship  as  a  powder-monkey  on  one 
of  the  ships  of  war,  or  enlist  as  a  drummer  in  one  of  the 
regiments,  and  then  I  should  be  beyond  your  authority 
altogether." 

"  I  begin  to  think  you  are  beyond  my  authority  already, 
Bob.  Gerald,  I  am  afraid  we  did  a  very  foolish  thing  in 
agreeing  to  have  this  boy  out  here." 

"Well,  we  have  got  him  on  our  hands  now,  Carrie,  and  it 
is  early  yet  for  you  to  find  out  your  mistake.  Well,  if  there 
should  be  a  siege — " 

"You  know  there  is  no  chance  of  it,  Gerald." 

"Well,  I  only  say  if,  and  we  are  cut  off  from  all  the  world, 
he  will  be  a  companion  to  you,  and  keep  you  alive  while  I 
am  in  the  batteries." 

"I  won't  hear  such  nonsense  talked  any  more,   Gerald; 


130  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

and  if  Teddy  Burke  is  going  to  bring  us  every  bit  of  absurd 
gossip  that  may  be  picked  up  from  the  peasants,  he  can  stay 
away  altogether." 

"  Except  when  he  comes  to   instruct  his  pupil,    Mrs. 
O'Halloran." 

"Oh,  that  is  not  likely  to  last  long,  Dr.  Burke !  " 
"That  is  to  be  seen,  Mrs.  O'Halloran.  It  is  a  nice  ex- 
ample you  are  setting  him  of  want  of  respect  for  his  in- 
structor. I  warn  you  that  before  another  six  months  have 
passed  you  will  have  to  confess  that  it  has  been  just  the  very 
best  arrangement  that  could  have  been  made,  and  will  thank 
your  stars  that  Dr.  Edward  Burke,  M.D.,  of  Dublin,  hap- 
pened to  be  here  ready  to  your  hand." 


CHAPTER   VII. 

TROUBLES   AHEAD. 

WHEN  Dr.  Burke  had  left,  Bob  broke  into  an  Indian 
war-dance  expressive  of  the  deepest  satisfaction,  and 
Captain  O'Halloran  burst  into  a  shout  of  laughter  at  the 
contrast  between  the  boy's  vehement  delight,  and  the  dis- 
satisfaction expressed  in  his  wife's  face. 

"I  am  not  at  all  pleased,  Gerald,  not  at  all,  and  I  don't 
see  that  it  is  any  laughing  matter.  I  never  heard  a  more 
ridiculous  thing.  Uncle  intrusted  Bob  to  our  care,  believing 
that  we  should  do  what  was  best  for  him,  and  hear  you  go 
and  engage  the  most  feather-headed  Irishman  in  the  garrison 
(and  that  is  saying  a  good  deal), Gerald,  to  look  after  him." 

It  was  so  seldom  that  Carrie  took  matters  seriously  that 
her  husband  ceased  laughing  at  once. 

"Well,  Carrie,  there  is  no  occasion  to  put  yourself  out 
about  it.  The  experiment  can  be  tried  for  a  fortnight,  and 
if  at  the  end  of  that  time  you  are  not  satisfied,  we  will  get 
someone  else.     But  I  am  sure  it  will  work  well." 

"So  am  I,  Carrie,"  Bob  put  in.  "I  believe  Dr.  Burke 
and  I  will  get  on  splendidly.  You  see  I  have  been  with 
two  people,  both  of  whom  looked  as  grave  as  judges,  and 
one  of  them  as  cross  as  a  bear,  and  yet  they  were  both  first- 
rate  fellows.  It  seems  to  me  that  Dr.  Burke  is  just  the 
other  way.  He  turns  everything  into  fun,  but  I  expect  he 
will  be  just  as  sharp  when  he  is  at  lessons  as  anyone  else. 
At  any  rate,  you  may  be  sure  that  I  will  do  my  best  with 
him,  so  as  not  to  get  put  under  some  stiff  old  fellow  instead 
of  him." 


132  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

"Well,  we  shall  see,  Bob.  I  hope  that  it  will  turn  out 
well,  I  am  sure." 

"Of  course  it  will  turn  out  well,  Carrie.  Why,  didn't 
your  uncle  at  first  think  I  was  the  most  harum-scarum  fellow 
he  ever  saw,  and  now  he  sees  that  I  am  a  downright  model 
husband,  with  only  one  fault,  and  that  is  that  I  let  you  have 
your  own  way  altogether." 

"  It  looks  like  it  on  the  present  occasion,  Gerald, "  his  wife 
laughed.  "I  will  give  it,  as  you  say,  a  fortnight's  trial.  I 
only  hope  that  you  have  made  a  better  choice  for  Bob's 
Spanish  master." 

"  I  hope  so,  my  dear;  that  is,  if  it  is  possible.  The  pro- 
fessor, as  I  call  him,  has  been  teaching  his  language  to 
officers  here  for  the  last  thirty  years.  He  is  a  queer, 
wizened-up  little  old  chap,  and  has  got  out  of  the  way  of 
bowing  and  scraping  that  the  senors  generally  indulge  in; 
but  he  seems  a  cheery  little  old  soul,  and  he  has  got  to  un- 
derstand English  ways,  and  at  any  rate  there  is  no  fear  of 
his  leading  Bob  into  mischief.  The  Spaniards  don't  under- 
stand that;  and  if  you  were  to  ruffle  his  dignity  he  would 
throw  up  teaching  him  at  once,  and  I  have  not  heard  of 
another  man  on  the  Rock  who  would  be  likely  to  suit." 

On  the  following  Monday  Bob  began  work  with  the  pro- 
fessor, who  called  himself  on  his  card  Don  Diaz  Martos.  He 
spoke  English  very  fairly,  and  after  the  first  half-hour  Bob 
found  that  the  lessons  would  be  much  more  pleasant  than 
he  expected.  The  professor  began  by  giving  him  a  long  sen- 
tence to  learn  by  heart  thoroughly,  and  when  Bob  had  done 
this  parsed  each  word  with  him,  so  that  he  perfectly  under- 
stood its  meaning.  Then  he  made  the  lad  say  it  after  him  a 
score  of  times,  correcting  his  accent  and  inflection;  and 
when  he  was  satisfied  with  this,  began  to  construct  fresh 
sentences  out  of  the  original  one,  again  making  Bob  repeat 
them,  and  form  fresh  ones  himself.  Thus  by  the  time  the 
first  lesson  was  finished,  the  lad,  to  his  surprise,  found  him- 
self able  without  difficulty  to  frame  sentences  from  the  words 


TROUBLES    AHEAD.  133 

he  had  learned.  Then  the  professor  wrote  down  thirty 
nouns  and  verbs  in  common  use. 

"You  will  learn  them  this  evening,"  he  said,  "and  in  the 
morning  we  shall  be  able  to  make  up  a  number  of  sentences 
out  of  them,  and  by  the  end  of  a  week  you  will  see  we  shall 
begin  to  talk  to  each  other.  After  that  it  will  be  easy. 
Thirty  fresh  words  every  day  will  be  ample.  In  a  month 
you  will  know  seven  or  eight  hundred,  and  seven  or  eight 
hundred  are  enough  for  a  man  to  talk  with  on  common 
occasions." 

"He  is  first-rate,"  Bob  reported  to  his  sister,  as  they  sat 
down  to  dinner  at  one  o'clock.  "You  will  hardly  believe 
that  I  can  say  a  dozen  little  sentences  already,  and  can 
understand  him  when  he  says  them.  He  says  in  a  week 
we  shall  be  able  to  get  to  talk  together.  I  wonder  they 
don't  teach  Latin  like  that.  Why,  I  shall  know  in  two  or 
three  months  as  much  Spanish,  and  more,  ever  so  much 
more,  than  I  do  Latin,  after  grinding  away  at  it  for  the  last 
seven  or  eight  years." 

"Well,  that  is  satisfactory.  I  only  hope  the  other  will 
turn  out  as  well." 

As  Mrs.  O'Halloran  sat  that  evening  with  her  work  in 
her  hand  on  the  terrace,  with  her  husband  smoking  a  cigar 
beside  her,  she  paused  several  times  as  she  heard  a  burst 
of  laughter. 

"That  doesn't  sound  like  master  and  pupil,"  she  said 
sharply,  after  an  unusually  loud  laugh  from  below. 

"More  the  pity,  Carrie.  Why  on  earth  shouldn't  a 
master  be  capable  of  a  joke?  Do  you  think  one  does  not 
learn  all  the  faster  when  the  lecture  is  pleasant?  I  know 
I  would  myself.  I  never  could  see  why  a  man  should  look 
as  if  he  was  going  to  an  execution  when  he  wants  to  instil 
knowledge." 

"But  it  is  not  usual,  Gerald,"  Carrie  remonstrated,  no 
other  argument  occurring  to  her. 

"But  that  doesn't  prove  that  it's  wrong.     Why   a  boy 


134  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

should  be  driven  worse  than  a  donkey,  and  thrashed  until 
his  life  is  a  burden  to  him,  and  he  hates  his  lessons  and 
hates  his  master,  beats  me  entirely.  Some  day  they  will 
go  more  sensibly  to  work.  You  see,  in  the  old  times, 
Carrie,  men  used  to  beat  their  wives,  and  you  don't  think 
the  women  were  any  the  better  for  it,  do  you?  " 

"Of  course  they  weren't,"  Carrie  said  indignantly. 

"But  it  was  usual,  you  know,  Carrie,  just  as  you  say 
that  it  is  usual  for  masters  to  beat  boys;  as  if  they  would 
do  nothing  without  being  thrashed.  I  can't  see  any  differ- 
ence between  the  two  things." 

"I  can  see  a  great  deal  of  difference,  sir." 

"Well,  what  is  the  difference,  Carrie?" 

But  Carrie  disdained  to  give  any  answer.  Still,  as  she 
sat  sewing  and  thinking  the  matter  over,  she  acknowledged 
to  herself  that  she  really  could  not  see  any  good  and  efficient 
reason  why  boys  should  be  beaten  any  more  than  women. 

"But  women  don't  do  bad  things  like  boys,"  she  said, 
breaking  silence  at  last. 

"Don't  they,  Carrie?  I  am  not  so  sure  of  that.  I  have 
heard  of  women  who  are  always  nagging  their  husbands, 
and  giving  them  no  peace  of  their  lives;  I  have  heard  of 
women  who  think  of  nothing  but  dress,  and  who  go  about 
and  leave  their  homes  and  children  to  shift  for  themselves; 
I  have  heard  of  women  who  spend  all  their  time  spreading 
scandal;   I  have  heard  of — " 

"There,  that  is  enough,"  Carrie  broke  in  hastily.  "But 
you  don't  mean  to  say  that  they  would  be  any  the  better 
for  beating,  Cerald?" 

"I  don't  know,  Carrie;  I  should  think  perhaps  they 
might  be  sometimes.  At  any  rate,  I  think  that  they  deserve 
a  beating  quite  as  much  as  a  boy  does  for  neglecting  to 
learn  a  lesson  or  for  playing  some  prank,  which  comes  just 
as  naturally  to  him  as  mischief  does  to  a  kitten.  For  any- 
thing really  bad  I  would  beat  a  boy  as  long  as  I  could  stand 
over  him.      For  lying,  or  thieving,  or  any  mean,  dirty  trick 


TROUBLES    AHEAD.  135 

I  would  have  no  mercy  on  him.  But  that  is  a  very  different 
thing  to  keeping  the  cane  always  going  at  school  as  they  do 
now.  But  here  comes  Bob.  Well,  Bob,  is  the  doctor  gone  ? 
Didn't  you  ask  him  to  come  up  and  have  a  cigar?  " 

"Yes;  but  he  said  he  had  got  two  or  three  cases  at  the 
hospital  he  must  see,  and  would  wait  until  this  evening." 

"  How  have  you  got  on,  Bob?  " 

"Splendidly.  I  wonder  why  they  don't  teach  at  school 
like  that." 

"  It  didn't  sound  much  like  teaching,"  Carrie  said  severely. 

"I  don't  suppose  it  did,  Carrie,  but  it  was  teaching  for 
all  that.  Why,  I  have  learned  as  much  this  evening  as  I 
did  in  a  dozen  lessons  in  school.  He  explains  everything 
so  that  you  seem  to  understand  it  at  once,  and  he  puts  things 
sometimes  in  such  a  droll  way,  and  brings  in  such  funny 
comparisons,  that  you  can't  help  laughing.  But  you  under- 
stand it  for  all  that,  and  are  not  likely  to  forget  it.  Don't 
you  be  afraid,  Carrie,  if  Dr.  Burke  teaches  me  for  the  two 
years  that  I  am  going  to  be  here,  I  shall  know  more  than  I 
should  have  done  if  I  had  stopped  at  Tulloch's  till  I  was 
an  old  man.  I  used  to  learn  lessons  there  and  get  through 
them  somehow,  but  I  don't  think  I  ever  understood  why 
things  were  so;  while  Dr.  Burke  explains  everything  so  that 
you  seem  to  understand  all  about  it  at  once.  And  he 
is  pretty  sharp,  too.  He  takes  a  tremendous  lot  of  pains 
himself,  but  I  can  see  he  will  expect  me  to  take  a  tremendous 
lot  of  pains  too." 

At  the  end  of  a  fortnight  Carrie  made  no  allusion  to  the 
subject  of  a  change  of  masters.  The  laughing  downstairs 
still  scandalized  her  a  little;  but  she  saw  that  Bob  really 
enjoyed  his  lessons,  and  although  she  herself  could  not  test 
what  progress  he  was  making,  his  assurances  on  that  head 
satisfied  her. 

The  Brilliant  had  sailed  on  a  cruise  the  morning  after 
Bob's  arrival,  but  as  soon  as  he  heard  that  she  had  again 
dropped  anchor  in  the  bay,  he  took  a  boat  and  went  out 


136  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

to  her,  and  returned  on  shore  with  Jim  Sankey,  who  had 
obtained  leave  for  the  afternoon.  The  two  spent  hours  in 
rambling  about  the  Rock  and  talking  of  old  times  at  Tul- 
loch's.  Both  agreed  that  the  most  fortunate  thing  that  ever 
happened  had  been  the  burglary  at  Admiral  Langton's, 
which  had  been  the  means  of  Jim's  getting  into  the  navy, 
and  Bob's  coming  out  to  Gibraltar  to  his  sister.  Jim  had  lots 
to  tell  of  his  shipmates  and  his  life  on  board  the  Brilliant. 
He  was  disposed  to  pity  Bob  spending  half  his  day  at  lessons, 
and  was  astonished  to  find  that  his  friend  really  enjoyed  it, 
and  still  more  that  he  should  already  have  begun  to  pick  up 
a  little  Spanish. 

"You  can't  help  it  with  Don  Diaz,"  Bob  said.  "He 
makes  you  go  over  a  sentence  fifty  times  until  you  say  it  in 
exactly  the  same  voice  he  does;  I  mean  the  same  accent. 
He  says  it  slow  at  first  so  that  I  can  understand  him,  and 
then  faster  and  faster  till  he  speaks  in  his  regular  voice; 
then  I  have  to  make  up  another  sentence  in  answer.  It  is 
good  fun,  I  can  tell  you;  and  yet  one  feels  that  one  is  getting 
on  very  fast.  I  thought  it  would  take  years  before  I  should 
be  able  to  get  on  anyhow  in  Spanish;  but  he  says  if  I  keep 
on  sticking  to  it,  I  shall  be  able  to  speak  pretty  nearly  like 
a  native  in  six  months'  time.  I  quite  astonish  Manola — 
that  is  our  servant — by  firing  off  sentences  in  Spanish  at 
her.  My  sister  Carrie  says  she  shall  take  to  learning  with 
the  Don  too." 

"Have  you  had  any  fun  since  you  landed,  Bob?  " 

"  No;  not  regular  fun,  you  know.  It  has  been  very  jolly. 
I  go  down  with  Gerald — Carrie's  husband,  you  know — to 
the  barracks,  and  I  know  most  of  the  officers  of  his  regiment 
now,  and  I  walk  about  a  bit  by  myself,  but  I  have  not  gone 
beyond  the  Rock  yet." 

"You  must  get  a  long  day's  leave,  Bob,  and  we  will  go 
across  the  neutral  ground  into  Spain  together." 

"Gerald  said  that  as  I  was  working  so  steadily  I  might 
have  a  holiday  sometimes,  if  I  did  not  ask  for  it  too  often. 


TROUBLES    AHEAD.  137 

I  have  been  three  weeks  at  it  now.  I  am  sure  I  can  go  for  a 
day  when  I  like,  so  it  will  depend  on  you." 

"  I  sha'n't  be  able  to  come  ashore  for  another  four  or  five 
days  after  having  got  away  this  afternoon.  Let  us  see,  this 
is  Wednesday,  I  will  try  to  get  leave  for  Monday." 

"Have  you  heard,  Jim,  there  is  a  talk  about  Spanish 
troops  moving  down  here,  and  that  they  think  Spain  is 
going  to  join  France  and  try  to  take  this  place?  " 

"No,  I  haven't  heard  a  word  about  it,"  Jim  said,  opening 
his  eyes.     "You  don't  really  mean  it?  " 

"Yes,  that  is  what  the  officers  say.  Of  course  they  don't 
know  for  certain,  but  there  is  no  doubt  the  country  people 
have  got  the  idea  into  their  heads,  and  the  natives  on  the 
Rock  certainly  believe  it." 

"Hooray!  that  would  be  fun,"  Jim  said.  "We  have  all 
been  grumbling  on  board  the  frigate  at  being  stuck  down 
here  without  any  chance  of  picking  up  prizes,  or  of  falling 
in  with  a  Frenchman  except  we  go  on  a  cruise.  Why,  you 
have  seen  twice  as  much  fun  as  we  have,  though  you  only 
came  out  in  a  trader.  Except  that  we  chased  a  craft  that 
we  took  for  a  French  privateer,  we  haven't  seen  an  enemy 
since  we  came  out  from  England;  and  we  didn't  see  much 
of  her,  for  she  sailed  right  away  from  us.  While  you  have 
had  no  end  of  fighting,  and  a  very  narrow  escape  of  being 
taken  to  a  French  prison." 

"Too  narrow  to  be  pleasant,  Jim.  I  don't  think  there 
would  be  much  fun  to  be  got  out  of  a  French  prison." 

"I  don't  know,  Bob.  I  suppose  it  would  be  dull  if  you 
were  alone,  but  if  you  and  I  were  together  I  feel  sure  we 
should  have  some  fun,  and  should  make  our  escape  some- 
how." 

"Well,  we  might  try,"  Bob  said  doubtfully.  "But,  you 
see,  not  many  fellows  do  make  their  escape;  and  as  sailors 
are  up  to  climbing  ropes,  and  getting  over  walls,  and  all 
that  sort  of  thing,  I  should  think  they  would  do  it  if  it  could 
be  managed  anyhow." 


138  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

Upon  the  following  day,  when  Bob  was  in  the  ante-room 
of  the  mess  with  Captain  O'Halloran,  looking  at  some  papers 
that  had  been  brought  by  a  ship  that  had  come  in  that 
morning,  the  colonel  entered  accompanied  by  Captain  Lang- 
ton.  The  officers  all  stood  up,  and  the  colonel  introduced 
them  to  Captain  Langton,  who  was,  he  told  them,  going 
to  dine  at  the  mess  that  evening.  After  he  had  done 
this  Captain  Langton's  eye  fell  upon  Bob,  who  smiled  and 
made  a  bow. 

"I  ought  to  know  you,"  the  captain  said.  "I  have  cer- 
tainly seen  your  face  somewhere." 

"It  was  at  Admiral  Langton's,  sir.  My  name  is  Bob 
Repton." 

"Of  course  it  is,"  the  officer  said,  shaking  him  cordially 
by  the  hand.  "But  what  on  earth  are  you  doing  here?  I 
thought  you  had  settled  down  somewhere  in  the  city;  with 
an  uncle,  wasn't  it?  " 

"Yes,  sir;  but  I  have  come  out  here  to  learn  Spanish." 

"  Have  you  seen  your  friend  Sankey?  " 

"Yes,  sir.  I  went  on  board  the  frigate  to  see  him  yes- 
terday afternoon,  and  he  got  leave  to  come  ashore  with  me 
for  two  or  three  hours." 

"He  ought  to  have  let  me  know  that  you  were  here,"  the 
captain  said.     "Who  are  you  staying  with,  lad?  " 

"With  Captain  O'Halloran,  sir,  my  brother-in-law,"  Bob 
said,  indicating  Gerald,  who  had  already  been  introduced  to 
Captain  Langton. 

"  I  daresay  you  are  surprised  at  my  knowing  this  young 
gentleman,"  he  said,  turning  to  Colonel  Cochrane,  "but  he 
did  my  father  the  admiral  a  great  service.  He  and  three 
other  lads,  under  his  leadership,  captured  four  of  the  most 
notorious  burglars  in  London  when  they  were  engaged  in 
robbing  my  father's  house.  It  was  a  most  gallant  affair,  I 
can  assure  you,  and  the  four  burglars  swung  for  it  a  couple 
of  months  later.  I  have  one  of  the  lads  as  a  midshipman 
on  board  my  ship,  and  I  offered  a  berth  to  Repton,  but  very 


TROUBLES    AHEAD.  139 

wisely  he  decided  to  remain  on  shore,  where  his  prospects 
were  good." 

"Why,  O'Halloran,  you  never  told  me  anything  about 
this,"  the  colonel  said. 

"  No,  sir.  Bob  asked  me  not  to  say  anything  about  it. 
I  think  he  is  rather  shy  of  having  it  talked  about,  and  it  is 
the  only  thing  of  which  he  is  shy  as  far  as  I  have  dis- 
covered." 

"Well,  we  must  hear  the  story,"  the  colonel  said.  "I 
hope  you  will  dine  at  mess  this  evening,  and  bring  him  with 
you.  Pie  shall  tell  us  the  story  over  our  wine.  I  am  curious 
to  know  how  four  boys  can  have  made  such  a  capture." 

After  mess  that  evening  Bob  told  the  story  as  modestly 
as  he  could. 

"There,  colonel,"  Captain  Langton  said  when  he  had 
finished.  "You  see  that  if  these  stories  I  hear  are  true, 
and  the  Spaniards  are  going  to  make  a  dash  for  Gibraltar, 
you  have  got  a  valuable  addition  to  your  garrison." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  the  colonel  laughed.  "We  will  make  a 
volunteer  of  him.  He  has  had  some  little  experience  of 
standing  fire,  for  O'Halloran  told  me  that  the  brig  he  came 
out  in  had  fought  a  sharp  action  with  a  privateer  of  superior 
force,  and  indeed  when  she  came  in  here  her  sails  were 
riddled  with  shot  holes." 

"Better  and  better,"  Captain  Langton  laughed.  "Well, 
Repton,  remember  whenever  you  are  disposed  for  a  cruise 
I  shall  be  glad  to  take  you  as  passenger.  Sankey  will  make 
you  at  home  in  the  midshipmen's  berth.  If  the  Spaniards 
declare  war  with  us  we  shall  have  stirring  times  at  sea  as 
well  as  on  shore,  and  though  you  won't  get  any  share  in 
any  prize-money  we  may  win  while  you  are  on  board,  you 
will  have  part  of  the  honour;  and,  you  see,  making  captures 
is  quite  in  your  line." 

The  next  day  Captain  O'Halloran  and  Bob  dined  on 
board  the  Brilliant.  Captain  Langton  introduced  the  lad  to 
his  officers,  telling  them  that  he  wished  him  to  be  considered 


140  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

as  being  free  on  board  the  ship  whether  he  himself  happened 
to  be  on  board  or  not  when  he  came  off.  "  But  you  must 
keep  an  eye  on  him,  Mr.  Hardy,  while  he  is  on  board," 
he  said  to  the  first  lieutenant.  "Mr.  Sankey,"  and  he 
nodded  at  Jim,  who  was  among  those  invited,  "is  rather 
a  pickle,  but  from  what  I  hear  Repton  is  worse.  So  you 
will  have  to  keep  a  sharp  eye  upon  them  when  they  are 
together,  and  if  they  are  up  to  mischief  do  not  hesitate  to 
masthead  both  of  them.  A  passenger  on  board  one  of  His 
Majesty's  ships  is  amenable  to  discipline  like  anyone  else." 

"I  will  see  to  it,  sir,"  the  lieutenant  said  laughing. 
"Sankey  knows  the  way  up  already." 

"Yes.  I  think  I  observed  him  taking  a  view  of  the 
shore  from  that  elevation  this  morning." 

Jim  coloured  hotly. 

"Yes,  sir,"  the  lieutenant  said.  "The  doctor  made  a 
complaint  that  his  leeches  had  got  out  of  their  bottle  and 
were  all  over  the  ship,  and  I  fancy  one  of  them  got  into  his 
bed  somehow.  He  had  given  Mr.  Sankey  a  dose  of  physic 
in  the  morning,  and  remembered  afterwards  that  while  he 
was  making  up  the  medicine  Sankey  had  been  doing  some- 
thing in  the  corner  where  his  bottles  were.  When  I  ques- 
tioned Sankey  about  it  he  admitted  that  he  had  observed 
the  leeches,  but  declined  to  criminate  himself  farther.  So 
I  sent  him  aloft  for  an  hour  or  two  to  meditate  upon  the 
enormity  of  wasting  His  Majesty's  medical  stores." 

"I  hope,  Captain  O'Halloran,"  the  captain  said,  "that 
you  have  less  trouble  with  your  brother-in-law  than  we 
have  with  his  friend." 

"Bob  hasn't  had  much  chance  yet,"  Captain  O'Halloran 
said  laughing.  "  He  is  new  to  the  place  as  yet,  and,  besides, 
he  is  really  working  hard  and  hasn't  much  time  for  mischief; 
but  I  don't  flatter  myself  that  it  is  going  to  last." 

"Well,  Mr.  Sankey,  you  may  as  well  take  your  friend 
down  and  introduce  him  formally  to  your  messmates,"  the 
captain  said;  and  Jim,  who  had  been  feeling  extremely  un- 


TROUBLES   AHEAD.  141 

comfortable  since  the  talk  had  turned  on  the  subject  of 
mastheading,  rose  and  made  his  escape  with  Bob,  leaving 
the  elders  to  their  wine. 

The  proposed  excursion  to  the  Spanish  lines  did  not  come 
off,  as  the  Brilliant  put  to  sea  again  on  the  day  fixed  for  it. 
She  was  away  a  fortnight,  and  on  her  return  the  captain 
issued  orders  that  none  of  the  junior  officers  when  allowed 
leave  were  to  go  beyond  the  lines,  for  the  rumours  of  ap- 
proaching troubles  had  become  stronger,  and  as  the  peasan- 
try were  assuming  a  somewhat  hostile  attitude,  any  act  of 
imprudence  might  result  in  trouble.  Jim  often  had  leave 
to  come  ashore  in  the  afternoon,  and  as  this  was  the  time 
that  Bob  had  to  himself,  they  wandered  together  all  over 
the  Rock,  climbed  up  the  flagstaff,  and  made  themselves  ac- 
quainted with  all  the  paths  and  precipices.  Their  favourite 
place  was  the  back  of  the  Rock,  where  the  cliff  in  many 
places  fell  sheer  away  for  hundreds  of  feet  down  into  the 
sea.  They  had  many  discussions  as  to  the  possibility  of 
climbing  up  on  that  side,  though  both  agreed  that  it  would 
be  impossible  to  climb  down. 

"I  should  like  to  try  awfully,"  Bob  said  one  day  early  in 
June,  as  they  were  leaning  on  a  low  wrall  looking  down  to 
the  sea. 

"  But  it  would  never  do  to  risk  getting  into  a  scrape  here, 
it  wouldn't  indeed,  Bob.  They  don't  understand  jokes  at 
Gib.  One  would  be  had  up  before  the  big  wigs  and  court- 
martialled,  and  goodness  knows  what.  Of  course  it  is  jolly 
being  ashore,  but  one  never  gets  rid  of  the  idea  that  one  is 
a  sort  of  prisoner.  There  are  the  regulations  about  what  time 
you  may  come  off  and  what  time  the  gate  is  closed,  and  if  you 
are  a  minute  late  there  you  are  until  next  morning.  Which- 
ever  way  one  turns  there  are  sentries,  and  you  can't  pass  one 
way  and  you  can't  go  back  another  way,  and  there  are  some 
of  the  batteries  you  can't  go  into  without  a  special  order. 
It  never  would  do  to  try  any  nonsense  here.  Look  at  that 
sentry  up  there.     I  expect  he  has  got  his  eye  on  us  now, 


142  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

and  if  he  saw  us  trying  to  get  down  he  would  take  us  for 
deserters  and  fire.  There  wouldn't  be  any  fear  of  his  hitting 
us,  but  the  nearest  guard  would  turn  out,  and  we  should  be 
arrested  and  reported,  and  all  sorts  of  things.  It  wouldn't 
matter  so  much  for  you,  but  I  should  get  my  leave  stopped 
altogether,  and  should  get  into  the  captain's  black  books. 
No,  no.  I  don't  mind  running  a  little  risk  of  breaking  my 
neck,  but  not  here  on  the  Rock.  I  would  rather  get  into 
ten  scrapes  on  board  the  frigate  than  one  here." 

"Yes,  I  suppose  it  can't  be  done,"  Bob  agreed;  "but  I 
should  have  liked  to  swing  myself  down  to  one  of  those 
ledges.  There  would  be  such  a  scolding  and  shrieking 
among  the  birds." 

"Yes,  that  would  be  fun;  but  as  it  might  bring  on  the 
same  sort  of  row  among  the  authorities,  I  would  rather  leave 
it  alone.  I  expect  we  shall  soon  get  leave  to  go  across  the 
lines  again.  There  doesn't  seem  to  be  any  chance  of  a 
row  with  the  dons;  I  expect  it  was  all  moonshine  from 
the  first.  Why,  they  say  Spain  is  trying  to  patch  up  the 
quarrel  between  us  and  France.  She  would  not  be  doing 
that  if  she  had  any  idea  of  going  to  war  with  us  herself." 

"  I  don't  know,  Jim.  Gerald  and  Dr.  Burke  were  talking 
it  over  last  night,  and  Gerald  said  just  what  you  do;  and 
then  Dr.  Burke  said,  'You  are  wrong  entirely,  Gerald.  That 
is  just  the  dangerous  part  of  the  affair.  Why  should  Spain 
want  to  put  a  stop  to  the  war  between  us  and  the  frog- 
eaters?  Sure,  wouldn't  she  look  on  with  the  greatest  plea- 
sure in  life  while  we  cut  each  other's  throats  and  blew  up 
each  other's  ships,  and  put  all  the  trade  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean into  her  hands?  Why,  it  is  the  very  thing  that  suits 
her  best.' 

"'Then,  what  is  she  after  putting  herself  forward  for, 
Teddy?'   Gerald  said. 

"'Because  she  wants  to  have  a  finger  in  the  pie,  Gerald. 
It  wouldn't  be  dacent  for  her  to  say  to  England,  It  is  in  a 
hole  you  are  at  present  wid  your  hands  full,  and  so  I  am 


TROUBLES    AHEAD.  143 

going  to  take  the  opportunity  of  pitching  into  you.  So  she 
begins  by  stipping  forward  as  the  dear  friend  of  both  parties, 
and  she  says,  What  are  you  breaking  each  other's  heads  for, 
boys?  Make  up  your  quarrel,  and  shake  hands.  Then  she 
sets  to  and  proposes  terms,  which  she  knows  mighty  well 
we  shall  never  agree  to— for  the  letters  we  had  the  other 
day  said  that  it  was  reported  that  the  proposals  of  Spain 
were  altogether  unacceptable — and  then  when  we  refuse  she 
turns  round  and  says  you  have  put  yourself  in  the  wrong 
entirely.  I  gave  you  a  chance  of  putting  yourself  in  the 
right,  and  it  is  a  grave  insult  to  me  for  you  to  refuse  to  accept 
my  proposals.  So  there  is  nothing  for  me  to  do  now  but 
just  to  join  with  France  and  give  you  the  bating  you  de- 
sarve. ' 

"That  is  Teddy  Burke's  idea,  Jim;  and  though  he  is  so 
full  of  fun  he  is  awfully  clever,  and  has  got  no  end  of  sense, 
and  I'd  take  his  opinion  about  anything.  You  see  how  he  has 
got  me  on  in  these  four  months  in  Latin  and  things.  Why, 
I  have  learnt  more  with  him  than  I  did  all  the  time  I  was 
at  Tulloch's.  He  says  most  likely  the  negotiations  will  be 
finished  one  way  or  the  other  by  the  middle  of  this  month, 
and  he  offered  to  bet  Gerald  a  gallon  of  whisky  that  there 
would  be  a  declaration  of  war  by  Spain  before  the  end  of 
the  month." 

"  Did  he?  "  Jim  said  in  great  delight.  "Well,  I  do  hope 
he  is  right.  We  are  all  getting  precious  tired,  I  can  assure 
you,  of  broiling  down  there  in  the  harbour.  The  decks  are 
hot  enough  to  cook  a  steak  upon.  When  we  started  to-day 
we  didn't  see  a  creature  in  the  streets.  Everyone  had  gone 
off  to  bed  for  two  or  three  hours,  and  the  shops  were  all 
closed  as  if  it  had  been  two  o'clock  at  night  instead  of  two 
o'clock  in  the  day.  Even  the  dogs  were  all  asleep  in  the 
shade.  I  think  we  shall  have  to  give  up  our  walks  till 
August  is  over.  It  is  getting  too  hot  for  anything  in  the 
afternoon." 

"Well,  it  is  hot,"  Bob  agreed.     "Carrie  said  I  was  mad 


144  HELD    FAST   FOR    ENGLAND. 

coming  out  in  it  to-day,  and  should  get  sunstroke  and  all 
sort  of  things;  and  Gerald  said  at  dinner  that  if  it  were  not 
against  the  regulations  he  would  like  to  shave  his  head  in- 
stead of  plastering  it  all  over  with  powder." 

"I  call  it  disgusting,"  Jim  said  heartily.  "That  is  the 
one  thing  I  envy  you  in.  I  shouldn't  like  to  be  grinding 
away  at  books  as  you  do,  and  you  don't  have  half  the  fun  I 
do,  on  shore  here  without  any  fellows  to  have  larks  with, 
but  not  having  to  powder  your  hair  almost  makes  up  for  it. 
I  don't  mind  it  in  winter,  because  it  makes  a  sort  of  thatch 
for  the  head,  but  it  is  awful  now.  I  feel  just  as  if  I  had 
got  a  pudding  crust  all  over  my  head." 

"Well,  that  is  appropriate,  Jim,"  Bob  laughed;  and  then 
Jim  chased  him  all  along  the  path  till  they  got  within  sight 
of  a  sentry  in  a  battery;  and  then  his  dignity  as  midship- 
man compelled  them  to  desist,  and  the  pair  walked  gravely 
down  into  the  town. 

That  evening,  after  lessons  were  over,  Dr.  Burke  as  usual 
went  up  on  to  the  terrace  to  smoke  a  cigar  with  Captain 
O'Halloran. 

"It  is  a  pity  altogether,  Mrs.  O'Halloran,"  he  said  as  he 
stood  by  her  side  looking  over  the  moonlit  bay,  with  the 
dark  hulls  of  the  ships  and  the  faint  lights  across  at  Alge- 
ciras,  "that  we  can't  do  away  with  the  day  and  have  nothing 
but  night  of  it  for  four  or  five  months  in  the  year.  I  used 
to  think  it  must  be  mighty  unpleasant  for  the  Esquimaux, 
but  faith  I  envy  them  now.  Fancy  five  or  six  months  with- 
out catching  a  glimpse  of  that  burning  old  sun!  " 

"I  don't  suppose  they  think  so,"  Mrs.  O'Halloran 
laughed;  "but  it  would  be  pleasant  here.  The  heat  has 
been  dreadful  all  day,  and  it  is  really  only  after  sunset  that 
one  begins  to  enjoy  life." 

"You  may  well  say  that,  Mrs.  O'Halloran.  Faith,  I  wish 
they  would  let  me  take  off  my  coat  and  do  my  work  in  my 
shirt-sleeves  down  at  the  hospital.  Sure,  it  is  a  strange  idea 
these  military  men  have  got  in  their  heads,  that  a  man  isn't 


TROUBLES    AHEAD.  145 

fit  for  work  unless  he  is  buttoned  so  tightly  up  to  the  chin 
that  he  is  red  in  the  face.  If  nature  had  meant  it,  we  should 
have  been  born  in  a  suit  of  scale-armour  like  a  crocodile. 
Well,  there  is  one  consolation,  if  there  is  a  siege  I  expect 
there  will  be  an  end  of  hair-powder  and  cravats.  It's  the 
gineral  rule  on  a  campaign,  and  it  is  worth  standing  to  be 
shot  at  to  have  a  little  comfort  in  one's  life." 

"  Do  you  think  that  there  is  any  chance  at  all  of  the 
Spaniards  taking  the  place  if  they  do  besiege  us?"  Bob 
asked  as  Dr.  Burke  took  his  seat. 

"  None  of  taking  the  place  by  force,  Bob.  It  has  been 
besieged  over  and  over  again,  and  it  is  pretty  nearly  always 
by  hunger  that  it  has  fallen.  That  is  where  the  pinch  will 
come  if  they  besiege  us  in  earnest:  it's  living  on  mice  and 
grass  you  are  like  to  be  before  it  is  over." 

"But  the  fleet  will  bring  in  provisions  surely,  Dr.  Burke?" 

"  The  fleet  will  have  all  it  can  do  to  keep  the  sea  against 
the  navies  of  France  and  Spain.  They  will  do  what  they 
can,  you  may  be  sure;  but  the  enemy  well  know  that  it  is 
only  by  starving  us  out  that  they  can  hope  to  take  the 
place,  and  I  expect  they  will  put  such  a  fleet  here  that  it 
will  be  mighty  difficult  for  even  a  boat  to  find  its  way  in 
between  them." 

"  Do  you  know  about  the  other  sieges?  "  Mrs.  O'Halloran 
asked.  "  Of  course  I  know  something  about  the  last  siege, 
but  I  know  nothing  about  the  history  of  the  Rock  before 
that,  and  of  course  Gerald  doesn't  know." 

"And  why  should  I,  Carrie?  You  don't  suppose  that 
when  I  was  at  school  at  Athlone  they  taught  me  the  history 
of  every  bit  of  rock  sticking  up  on  the  face  of  the  globe? 
I  had  enough  to  do  to  learn  about  the  old  Romans,  bad 
cess  to  them!  and  all  their  bothering  doings." 

"I  can  tell  you  about  it,  Mrs.  O'Halloran,"  Teddy  Burke 
said.  "  Bob's  professor,  who  comes  to  have  a  talk  with  me 
for  half  an  hour  every  day,  has  been  telling  me  all  about  it; 
and  if  Gerald  will  move  himself  and  mix  me  a  glass  of  grog 


146  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

to  moisten  my  throat  I  will  give  you  the  whole  story  of  it. 
You  know,  no  doubt,  that  it  was  called  Mount  Calpe  by 
Gerald's  friends  the  Romans,  who  called  the  hill  opposite 
there  Mount  Abyla,  and  the  two  together  the  Pillars  of 
Hercules.  But  beyond  giving  it  a  name  they  don't  seem  to 
have  concerned  themselves  with  it;  nor  do  the  Phoenicians 
or  Carthaginians,  though  all  of  them  had  cities  out  in  the 
low  country.  It  was  when  the  Saracens  began  to  play  their 
games  over  here  that  we  first  hear  of  it.  Roderic,  you 
know,  was  king  of  the  Goths,  and  seems  to  have  been  a 
thundering  old  tyrant;  and  one  of  his  nobles,  Julian,  who 
had  been  badly  treated  by  him,  went  across  with  his  family 
into  Africa  and  put  up  Mousa,  the  Saracen  governor  of  the 
province  across  there,  to  invade  Spain. 

"They  first  of  all  made  a  little  expedition,  that  was  in 
711,  with  one  hundred  horse  and  four  hundred  foot.  They 
landed  over  there  at  Algeciras,  and  after  doing  some  plun- 
dering and  burning  sailed  back  again  with  the  news  that  the 
country  could  be  conquered.  So  next  year  twelve  thousand 
men,  under  a  chief  named  Tarik,  crossed  and  landed  on  the 
flat  between  the  Rock  and  Spain.  He  left  a  party  here  to 
build  the  castle,  and  then  marched  away,  defeated  Roderic 
and  his  army  at  Xeres,  and  soon  conquered  the  whole  of 
Spain  except  the  mountains  of  the  north.  We  don't  hear 
much  more  of  Gibraltar  for  another  six  hundred  years. 
Algeciras  had  become  a  fortress  of  great  strength  and  mag- 
nificence, and  Gibraltar  was  a  mere  sort  of  outlying  post. 
Ferdinand  IV.  of  Spain  besieged  Algeciras  for  years  and 
could  not  take  it,  but  a  part  of  his  army  attacked  Gibraltar 
and  captured  it. 

"The  African  Moors  came  over  to  help  their  friends,  and 
Ferdinand  had  to  fall  back;  but  the  Spaniards  still  held 
Gibraltar,  a  chap  named  Vasco  Paez  de  Meira  being  in 
command.  In  1333  Abomelique,  son  of  the  Emperor  of 
Fez,  came  across  with  an  army  and  besieged  Gibraltar. 
Vasco  held  out  for  five  months,  and  was  then  starved  into 


TROUBLES    AHEAD.  147 

surrender,  just  as  Alonzo  XL  was  approaching  to  his  assist- 
ance. He  arrived  before  the  town  five  days  after  it  sur- 
rendered and  attacked  the  castle;  but  the  Moors  encamped 
on  the  neutral  ground  in  his  rear  and  cut  him  off  from  his 
supplies,  and  he  was  obliged  at  last  to  negotiate,  and  was 
permitted  to  retire.  He  was  not  long  away.  Next  time  he 
attacked  Algeciras,  which  after  a  long  siege  he  took  in  1343. 

"In  1349  there  were  several  wars  in  Africa,  and  he  took 
advantage  of  this  to  besiege  Gibraltar.  He  was  some 
months  over  the  business,  and  the  garrison  was  nearly 
starved  out,  when  pestilence  broke  out  in  the  Spanish  camp, 
by  which  the  king  and  many  of  his  soldiers  died  and  the 
rest  retired.  It  was  not  until  sixty  years  afterwards,  in 
14 10,  that  there  were  fresh  troubles,  and  then  they  were 
what  might  be  called  family  squabbles.  The  Africans  of 
Fez  had  held  the  place  till  then,  but  the  Moorish  king  of 
Grenada  suddenly  advanced  upon  it  and  took  it.  A  short 
time  afterwards  the  inhabitants  rose  against  the  Spanish 
Moors  and  turned  them  out,  and  the  Emperor  of  Morocco 
sent  over  an  army  to  help  them ;  but  the  Moors  of  Grenada 
besieged  the  place,  and  took  it  by  famine. 

"In  1435  ^e  Christians  had  another  slap  at  it;  but  Henry 
de  Guzman,  who  attacked  by  sea,  was  defeated  and  killed. 
In  1462  the  greater  part  of  the  garrison  of  Gibraltar  was 
withdrawn  to  take  part  in  some  civil  shindy  that  was  going 
on  at  Grenada;  and  in  their  absence  the  place  was  taken  by 
John  de  Guzman,  duke  of  Medina-Sidonia,  and  son  of  the 
Henry  that  was  killed.  In  1540  Gibraltar  was  surprised 
and  pillaged  by  one  of  Barossa's  captains,  but  as  he  was 
leaving  some  Christian  galleys  met  him,  and  the  corsairs 
were  all  killed  or  taken.  This  was  really  the  only  affair 
worth  speaking  of  between  1462,  when  it  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Spaniards,  and  1704,  when  it  was  captured  by  us. 
Sir  George  Rooke,  who  had  gone  out  with  a  force  to  attack 
Cadiz,  finding  that  there  was  not  much  chance  of  success  in 
that  direction,  resolved,  with  Prince  George  of  Hesse  and 


148  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

Darmstadt,  who  commanded  the  troops  on  board  the  fleet, 
to  make  an  attack  on  Gibraltar. 

"On  the  21st  of  July,  1S00,  the  English  and  Dutch 
landed  on  the  neutral  ground,  and  at  daybreak  on  the  23d, 
the  fleet  opened  fire.  The  Spaniards  were  driven  from  their 
guns  on  the  Molehead  Battery ;  the  boats  landed  and  seized 
the  battery,  and  held  it  in  spite  of  the  Spaniards  springing 
a  mine,  which  killed  two  lieutenants  and  about  forty  men. 
The  Marquis  de  Salines,  the  governor,  was  then  summoned, 
and  capitulated.  So  you  see  we  made  only  a  day's  work  of 
taking  a  place  which  the  Spaniards  thought  that  they  had 
made  impregnable.  The  professor  made  a  strong  point  of 
it  that  the  garrison  consisted  only  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  men; 
which  certainly  accounts  for  our  success,  for  it  is  no  use 
having  guns  and  walls  if  you  haven't  got  soldiers  to  man 
them.  The  Prince  of  Hesse  was  left  as  governor,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  his  mettle  was  tried;  for  in  October  the 
Spanish  army,  with  six  battalions  of  Frenchmen,  opened 
trenches  against  the  town.  Admiral  Sir  John  Leake  threw 
in  reinforcements  and  six  months'  provisions.  At  the  end 
of  the  month  a  forlorn  hope  of  five  hundred  Spanish  volun- 
teers managed  to  climb  up  the  Rock  by  ropes  and  ladders 
and  surprised  a  battery,  but  were  so  furiously  attacked 
that  they  were  all  killed  or  taken  prisoners. 

"  A  heavy  cannonade  was  kept  up  for  another  week,  when 
a  large  number  of  transports  with  reinforcements  and  sup- 
plies arrived,  and  the  garrison  being  now  considered  strong 
enough  to  resist  any  attack  the  fleet  sailed  away.  The 
siege  went  on  till  the  middle  of  March,  when  Sir  John  Leake 
again  arrived,  drove  away  the  French  fleet  and  captured 
or  burnt  five  of  them,  and  the  siege  was  then  discontinued, 
having  cost  the  enemy  ten  thousand  men.  So,  you  see,  there 
was  some  pretty  hard  fighting  over  it. 

"The  place  was  threatened  in  1720,  and  in  the  beginning 
of  1727  twenty  thousand  Spaniards  again  sat  down  before 
it.     The  fortifications  had  been  made  a  good  deal  stronger 


TROUBLES    AHEAD.  149 

after  the  first  siege,  and  the  garrison  was  commanded  by 
Lieutenant-governor  Clayton.  The  siege  lasted  till  May, 
when  news  arrived  that  the  preliminaries  of  a  general  peace 
had  been  signed.  There  was  a  lot  of  firing,  but  the  Span- 
iards must  have  shot  mighty  badly,  for  we  had  only  three 
hundred  killed  and  wounded.  You  would  think  that  that 
was  enough;  but  when  I  tell  you  that  the  cannon  were  so 
old  and  rotten  that  seventy  cannon  and  thirty  mortars  burst 
during  the  siege,  it  seems  to  me  that  everyone  of  those 
three  hundred  must  have  been  damaged  by  our  own  cannon, 
and  that  the  Spaniards  did  not  succeed  in  hitting  a  single 
man.  That  is  mighty  encouraging  for  you,  Mrs.  O'Halloran, 
for  I  don't  think  that  our  cannon  will  burst  this  time;  and  if 
the  Spaniards  do  not  shoot  better  than  they  did  before,  it  is 
little  work  enough  that  is  likely  to  fall  to  the  share  of  the 
surgeons." 

"Thank  you,"  Mrs.  O'Halloran  said.  "You  have  told 
that  very  nicely,  Teddy  Burke.  I  did  not  know  anything 
about  it  before,  and  I  had  some  idea  that  it  was  when  the 
English  were  besieged  here  that  the  Queen  of  Spain  sat  on 
that  rock  which  is  called  after  her;  but  I  see  now  that  it 
was  Ferdinand's  Isabella,  and  that  it  was  when  the  Moors 
were  besieged  here  hundreds  of  years  before.  Well,  I  am 
glad  I  know  something  about  it.  It  is  stupid  to  be  in  a  place 
and  know  nothing  of  its  history.  You  are  rising  in  my 
estimation  fast.  Dr.  Burke." 

"Mistress  O'Halloran,"  the  doctor  said,  rising  and  mak- 
ing a  deep  bow,  "you  overwhelm  me  entirely;  and  now  I 
must  say  good-night,  for  I  must  look  in  at  the  hospital  before 
I  turn  in  to  my  quarters." 


CHAPTER   VIII. 


THE    SIEGE    BEGINS. 


ON  the  19th  of  June  General  Eliott,  accompanied  by 
several  of  his  officers,  paid  a  visit  to  the  Spanish  lines 
to  congratulate  General  Mendoza,  who  commanded  there,  on 
the  promotion  that  he  had  just  received.  The  visit  lasted 
but  a  short  time,  and  it  was  remarked  that  the  Spanish 
officer  seemed  ill  at  ease.  Scarcely  had  the  party  returned 
to  Gibraltar  than  a  Swedish  frigate  entered  the  bay,  having 
on  board  Mr.  Logie,  H.M.  Consul  in  Barbary,  who  had  come 
across  in  her  from  Tangier.  He  reported  that  a  Swedish 
brig  had  put  in  there.  She  reported  that  she  had  fallen 
in  with  the  French  fleet,  of  twenty-eight  sail  of  the  line,  off 
Cape  Finisterre,  and  that  they  were  waiting  there  to  be 
joined  by  the  Spanish  fleet  from  Cadiz. 

The  news  caused  great  excitement;  but  it  was  scarcely 
believed,  for  the  Spanish  general  had  given  the  most  amic- 
able assurances  to  the  governor.  On  the  21st,  however,  the 
Spaniards  at  their  lines  across  the  neutral  ground  refused 
to  permit  the  mail  to  pass,  and  a  formal  notification  was 
sent  in  that  intercourse  between  Gibraltar  and  Spain  would 
no  longer  be  permitted.  This  put  an  end  to  all  doubt  and 
discussion.  War  must  have  been  declared  between  Spain 
and  England,  or  such  a  step  would  never  have  been  taken. 
In  fact,  although  the  garrison  did  not  learn  it  until  some 
time  later/the  Spanish  embassador  in  London  had  presented 
what  was  virtually  a  declaration  of  war  on  the  16th.  A 
messenger  had  been  sent  off  on  the  same  day  from  Madrid, 


THE   SIEGE    BEGINS.  151 

ordering  the  cessation  of  intercourse  with  Gibraltar,  and  had 
he  not  been  detained  by  accident  on  the  road  he  might  have 
arrived  during  General  Eliott's  visit  to  the  Spanish  lines,  a 
fact  of  which  Mendoza  had  been  doubtless  forewarned,  and 
which  would  account  for  his  embarrassment  at  the  governor's 
call. 

Captain  O'Halloran  brought  the  news  home  when  he  re- 
turned from  parade.  "Get  ready  your  sandbags,  Carrie; 
examine  your  stock  of  provisions;  prepare  a  store  of  lint 
and  plaster." 

"What  on  earth  are  you  talking  about,  Gerald?  " 

"  It  is  war,  Carrie.  The  Dons  have  refused  to  accept  our 
mail,  and  have  cut  off  all  intercourse  with  the  mainland." 

Carrie  turned  a  little  pale.  She  had  never  really  thought 
that  the  talk  meant  anything,  or  that  the  Spaniards  could 
be  really  intending  to  declare  war  without  having  any  ground 
for  quarrel  with  England. 

"And  does  it  really  mean  war,  Gerald?  " 

"There  is  no  doubt  about  it.  The  Spaniards  are  going 
to  fight,  and  as  their  army  can't  swim  across  the  Bay  of 
Biscay,  I  take  it  it  is  here  they  mean  to  attack  us.  Faith, 
we  are  going  to  have  some  divarshun  at  last." 

"Divarshun!  You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself, 
Gerald." 

"Well,  my  dear,  what  have  I  come  into  the  army  for? 
To  march  about  for  four  hours  a  day  in  a  stiff  stock,  and 
powder  and  pig  -  tail  and  a  cocked  hat,  and  a  red  coat  ? 
Not  a  bit  of  it.  Didn't  I  enter  the  army  to  fight,  and  here 
have  I  been  without  a  chance  of  smelling  powder  for  the 
last  ten  years.  It  is  the  best  news  I  have  had  since  you 
told  me  that  you  were  ready  and  willing  to  become  Mrs. 
O'Halloran." 

"And  to  think  that  we  have  got  Bob  out  here  with  us!  " 
his  wife  said,  without  taking  any  notice  of  the  last  words. 
"What  will  uncle  say?  " 

"  Faith  and  it  makes  mighty  little  difference  what  he  says, 


152  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

Carrie,  seeing  that  he  is  altogether  beyond  shouting  distance. 
As  for  Bob,  he  will  be  just  delighted.  Why,  he  has  been 
working  till  his  brain  must  all  be  in  a  muddle;  and  it  is  the 
best  thing  in  the  world  for  him,  or  he  would  be  mixing  up 
the  Spaniards  and  the  Romans,  and  the  x's  and  y's  and  the 
tangents,  and  all  the  other  things  into  a  regular  jumble,  and 
it  is  a  nice  business  that  would  have  been.  It  is  the  best 
thing  in  the  world  for  him,  always  supposing  that  he  don't 
get  his  growth  stopped  for  want  of  victuals." 

"You  don't  mean  really  and  seriously,  Gerald,  that  we 
are  likely  to  be  short  of  food?  " 

"And  that  is  exactly  what  I  do  mean.  You  may  be  sure" 
that  the  Dons  know  mighty  well  that  they  have  no  chance 
of  taking  the  place  on  the  land  side.  They  might  just  as 
well  lay  out  their  trenches  against  the  moon.  It  is  just 
starvation  that  they  are  going  to  try,  and  when  they  get  the 
eighteen  French  sail  of  the  line  that  Mr.  Logie  brought 
news  of,  and  a  score  or  so  of  Spanish  men-of-war  in  the 
bay,  you  will  see  that  it  is  likely  you  won't  get  your  mutton 
and  your  butter  and  vegetables  very  regularly  across  from 
Tangier." 

"Well,  it  is  very  serious,  Gerald." 

"Very  serious,  Carrie." 

"I  don't  see  anything  to  laugh  at  at  all,  Gerald." 

"I  didn't  know  that  I  was  laughing." 

"You  were  looking  as  if  you  wanted  to  laugh,  which  is 
just  as  bad.    I  suppose  there  is  nothing  to  be  done,  Gerald  ?  " 

"Well,  yes,  I  should  go  down  to  the  town  and  lay  in  a 
store  of  things  that  will  keep.  You  see,  if  nothing  comes 
of  it  we  should  not  be  losers.  The  regiment  is  likely  to 
be  here  three  or  four  years,  so  we  should  lose  nothing  by 
laying  in  a  big  stock  of  wine  and  so  on;  while,  if  there  is  a 
siege,  you  will  see  everything  will  go  up  to  ten  times  its 
ordinary  price.  That  room  through  ours  is  not  used  for 
anything,  and  we  might  turn  that  into  a  store-room.  I  don't 
mean  that  there  is  any  hurry  about  it  to-day;  but  we  ought 


THE    SIEGE    BEGINS.  153 

certainly  to  lay  in  as  large  a  store  as  we  can  of  things  that 
will  keep.  Some  things  we  may  get  cheaper  in  a  short 
time  than  we  can  now.  A  lot  of  the  Jew  and  native  traders 
will  be  leaving  if  they  see  there  is  really  going  to  be  a  siege, 
for  you  see  the  town  is  quite  open  to  the  guns  of  batteries 
on  the  other  side  of  the  neutral  ground.  It  was  a  mighty 
piece  of  luck  we  got  this  house.  You  see  that  rising  ground 
behind  will  shelter  us  from  shot.  They  may  blaze  away  as 
much  as  they  like,  as  far  as  we  are  concerned.  Ah !  there 
is  Bob  coming  out  of  his  room  with  the  professor." 

"  Well,  take  him  out  and  tell  him,  Gerald.  I  want  to  sit 
down  and  think;  my  head  feels  quite  in  a  whirl." 

Bob  was  of  course  greatly  surprised  at  the  news,  and  the 
professor  himself  was  a  good  deal  excited.  "We  have  been 
living  here  for  three  hundred  years,"  he  said,  "my  fathers 
and  grandfathers.  When  the  English  came  and  took  this 
place  seventy-five  years  ago,  my  grandfather  became  a  British 
subject,  like  all  who  remained  here.  My  father,  who  was 
then  but  a  boy,  has  told  me  that  he  remembers  the  great 
siege,  and  how  the  cannons  roared  night  and  day.  It  was 
in  the  year  when  I  was  born  that  the  Spaniards  attacked  the 
Rock  again,  and  a  shell  exploded  in  the  house  and  nearly 
killed  us  all.  I  was  born  a  British  subject,  and  shall  do  my 
duty  in  what  way  I  can  if  the  place  is  attacked.  They  call 
us  Rock  scorpions.  Well,  they  shall  see  we  can  live  under 
fire,  and  will  do  our  best  to  sting  if  they  put  their  finger  on 
us.     Ha,  ha!" 

"The  little  man  is  quite  excited,"  Captain  O'Halloran 
said,  as  the  professor  turned  away  and  marched  off  at  a 
brisk  pace  towards  his  home.  "  It  is  rather  hard  on  these 
Rock  people.  Of  course,  as  he  says,  they  are  British  sub- 
jects, and  were  born  so.  Still,  you  see,  in  race  and  language 
they  are  still  Spaniards,  and  their  sympathies  must  be 
divided,  at  any  rate  at  present.  When  the  shot  and  shell 
come  whistling  into  the  town  and  knocking  their  houses 
about  their  ears,  they  will  become  a  good  deal  more  decided 


154  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

in  their  opinions  than  they  can  be  now.  Come  along,  Bob, 
and  let  us  get  all  the  news.  I  came  off  as  soon  as  I  heard 
that  our  communication  with  Spain  was  cut  off,  and  there- 
fore it  was  certain  war  was  declared.  There  will  be  lots  of 
orders  out  soon.  It  is  a  busy  time  we  shall  have  of  it  for 
the  next  month  or  two." 

There  were  many  officers  in  the  ante-room  when  they 
entered. 

"Any  fresh  news?"  Captain  O'Halloran  asked. 

"Lots  of  it,  O'Halloran.  All  the  Irish  officers  of  the 
garrison  are  to  be  formed  into  an  outlying  force  to  occupy 
the  neutral  ground;  it  is  thought  their  appearance  will  be 
sufficient  to  terrify  the  Spaniards." 

"  Get  out  with  you,  Grant !  If  they  were  to  take  us  at 
all,  it  would  be  because  they  knew  that  we  were  the  boys 
to  do  the  fighting." 

"And  the  drinking,  O'Halloran,"  another  young  officer 
put  in. 

"And  the  talking,"  said  another. 

"Now,  drop  it,  boys,  and  be  serious.  What  is  the  news, 
really?  " 

"There  is  a  council  of  war  going  on  at  the  governor's, 
O'Halloran.  Boyd,  of  course,  and  De  la  Motte,  Colonel 
Green,  the  admiral,  Mr.  Logie,  and  two  or  three  others. 
They  say  the  governor  has  been  gradually  getting  extra 
stores  across  from  Tangier  ever  since  there  was  first  a  talk 
about  this  business,  and  of  course  that  is  the  most  import- 
ant question  at  present.  I  hear  that  Green  and  the  Engin- 
eers have  been  marking  out  places  for  new  batteries  for  the 
last  month,  and  I  suppose  fatigue  work  is  going  to  be  the 
order  of  the  day.  It  is  too  bad  of  them  choosing  this  time 
of  the  year  to  begin,  for  it  will  be  awfully  hot  work.  Every- 
one is  wondering  what  will  become  of  the  officers  who  are 
living  out  with  their  families  at  San  Roque  and  the  other 
villages  across  the  Spanish  lines;  and,  besides,  there  are  a 
lot  of  officers  away  on  leave  in  the  interior. 


THE   SIEGE   EEGINS.  155 

"Of  course  they  won't  take  them  prisoners,  that  would 
be  a  dirty  trick.  But  it  is  likely  enough  they  may  ship 
them  straight  back  to  England,  instead  of  letting  them 
return  here.  Well,  it  is  lucky  that  we  have  got  a  pretty 
strong  garrison.  We  have  just  been  adding  up  the  last 
field  state.  These  are  the  figures — officers,  non-commis- 
sioned officers,  and  men — artillery,  485;  12th  Regiment, 
599;  39th,  5S6;  56th,  5S7;  58th,  605;  7 2d,  1046;  the  Hano- 
verian Brigade  of  Hardenberg's,  Reden's,  and  De  la  Motte's 
regiments,  1352;  and  122  Engineers  under  Colonel  Green; 
which  makes  up  altogether  5382  officers  and  men.  That  is 
strong  enough  for  anything,  but  it  would  have  been  better 
if  there  had  been  five  hundred  more  artillerymen;  but  I 
suppose  they  will  be  able  to  lend  us  some  sailors  to  help 
work  the  heavy  guns.  They  will  turn  you  into  a  powder- 
monkey,  Repton." 

"I  don't  care  what  they  turn  me  into,"  Bob  said,  "so 
long  as  I  can  do  something." 

"I  think  it  is  likely,"  Captain  O'Halloran  said  gravely, 
"that  all  women  and  children  will  be  turned  out  of  the 
place  before  fighting  begins;  except,  of  course,  wives  and 
children  of  officers." 

There  was  a  general  laugh  at  Bob.  "Well,"  he  said 
quietly,  "  it  will  lessen  the  ranks  of  the  subalterns,  for  there 
must  be  a  considerable  number  who  are  not  many  months 
older  than  I  am.  I  am  just  sixteen,  and  I  know  there  are 
some  not  older  than  that." 

This  was  a  fact,  for  commissions  were  in  those  days  given 
in  the  army  to  mere  lads,  and  the  ensigns  were  often  no 
older  than  midshipmen.  Late  in  the  afternoon  a  proces- 
sion of  carts  was  seen  crossing  the  neutral  ground  from  the 
Spanish  lines,  and  it  was  soon  seen  that  these  were  the 
English  officers  and  merchants  from  San  Roque  and  the 
other  villages.  They  had  that  morning  received  peremptory 
orders  to  leave  before  sunset.  Some  were  fortunate  enough 
to  be  able  to  hire  carts  to  bring  in  their  effects,  but  several 


156  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

were  compelled  from  want  of  carriage  to  leave  everything 
behind  them.  The  guards  had  all  been  reinforced  at  the 
northern  batteries,  pickets  had  been  stationed  across  the 
neutral  ground,  the  guard  at  the  work  known  as  the  Devil's 
Tower  were  warned  to  be  specially  on  the  alert,  and  the 
artillery  in  the  battery  on  the  rock  above  it  were  to  hold 
themselves  in  readiness  to  open  fire  upon  the  enemy  should 
they  be  perceived  advancing  towards  it. 

It  was  considered  improbable  in  the  extreme  that  the 
enemy  would  attack  until  a  great  force  had  been  collected, 
but  it  was  possible  that  a  body  of  troops  might  have  been 
collected  secretly  somewhere  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  that 
an  attempt  would  be  made  to  capture  the  place  by  surprise 
before  the  garrison  might  be  supposed  to  be  taking  pre- 
cautions against  attack.  The  next  morning  orders  were 
issued,  and  large  working -parties  were  told  off  to  go  on  with 
the  work  of  strengthening  the  fortifications;  and  notice 
was  issued  that  all  empty  hogsheads  and  casks  in  the  town 
would  be  bought  by  the  military  authorities.  These  were 
to  be  filled  with  earth,  and  to  take  the  places  of  fascines,  for 
which  there  were  no  materials  available  on  the  Rock.  Parties 
of  men  rolled  or  carried  these  up  to  the  heights.  Other 
parties  collected  earth,  and  piled  it  to  be  carried  up  in  sacks 
on  the  back  of  mules,  there  being  no  earth  on  the  rocks  where 
the  batteries  would  be  established,  a  fact  which  added  very 
largely  to  the  difficulties  of  the  Engineers. 

On  the  24th,  the  Childers  sloop  of  war  brought  in  two 
prizes  from  the  west,  one  of  which,  an  American,  she  had 
captured  in  the  midst  of  the  Spanish  fleet.  Some  of  the 
Spanish  men-of-war  had  made  threatening  demonstrations 
as  if  to  prevent  the  sloop  from  interfering  with  her,  but  they 
had  not  fired  a  gun,  and  it  was  supposed  that  they  had  not 
received  orders  to  commence  hostilities.  Two  English  fri- 
gates had  been  watching  the  fleet,  and  it  was  supposed  to 
be  on  its  way  to  join  the  French  fleet  off  Cape  Finisterre. 
The  Spaniards  were  seen  now  to  be  at  work  dragging  down 


THE   SIEGE    BEGINS.  157 

guns  from  San  Roque  to  arm  their  two  forts,  St.  Philip  and 
St.  Barbara  which  stood  at  the  extremities  of  their  lines — 
St.  Philip  on  the  bay  and  St.  Barbara  upon  the  sea-shore  on 
the  eastern  side  of  the  neutral  side.  In  time  of  peace  only 
a  few  guns  were  mounted  in  these  batteries.  Admiral  Duff 
moved  the  men-of-war  under  his  command,  consisting  of  the 
Panther,  of  sixty  guns,  three  frigates,  and  a  sloop,  from  their 
usual  anchorage  off  the  Water  Port,  where  they  were  exposed 
to  the  fire  of  the  enemy's  forts,  to  the  New  Mole  more  to  the 
southward. 

Bob  would  have  liked  to  be  out  all  day  watching  the 
busy  preparations,  and  listening  to  the  talk  of  the  natives, 
who  were  greatly  alarmed  at  the  prospect  of  the  siege, 
knowing  that  the  guns  from  the  Spanish  forts,  and  espe- 
cially from  Fort  St.  Philip,  could  throw  their  shot  and  shell 
into  the  town.  But  Captain  O'Halloran  agreed  with  his 
wife  that  it  was  much  better  he  should  continue  his  lessons 
with  Don  Diaz  of  a  morning,  for  that  it  would  be  absurd 
for  him  to  be  standing  about  in  the  sun  the  whole  day. 

The  evening  lessons  were,  however,  discontinued  from  the 
first,  as  Dr.  Burke  had  his  hands  full  in  superintending  the 
preparations  making  at  the  hospitals  for  the  reception  of 
large  numbers  of  wounded. 

Bob  did  not  so  much  mind  this,  for  he  had  ceased  to  re- 
gard the  time  spent  with  the  professor  as  lessons.  After  he 
had  once  mastered  the  conjugation  of  the  verbs,  and  had 
learned  an  extensive  vocabulary  by  heart,  books  had  been 
laid  aside  altogether,  and  the  three  hours  with  the  professor 
had  for  the  last  two  months  been  spent  simply  in  conversa- 
tion. They  were  no  longer  indoors,  but  sat  in  the  garden 
on  the  shady  side  of  the  house,  or  when  the  sky  happened 
to  be  clouded  and  the  morning  was  cool,  walked  together 
out  to  Europa  Point,  and  would  sit  down  there  looking  over 
the  sea,  but  always  talking.  Sometimes  it  was  history — 
Roman,  English,  or  Spanish,  sometimes  Bob's  school-days 
and  life  in  London,  sometimes  general  subjects.    It  mattered 


158  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

little  what  they  talked  about,  so  that  the  conversation  was 
kept  up. 

Sometimes  when  it  was  found  that  topics  failed  them, 
the  professor  would  give  Bob  a  Spanish  book  to  glance 
through,  and  its  subject  would  serve  as  a  theme  for  talk  on 
the  following  day;  and  as  it  was  five  months  since  the  lad 
had  landed,  he  was  now  able  to  speak  in  Spanish  almost 
as  fluently  as  in  English.  As  he  had  learnt  almost  entirely 
by  ear,  and  any  word  mispronounced  had  had  to  be  gone 
over  again  and  again  till  Don  Diaz  was  perfectly  satisfied, 
his  accent  was  excellent,  and  the  professor  had  told  him  a 
few  days  before  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  that  in  another 
month  or  two  he  should  discontinue  his  lessons. 

"It  would  be  well  for  you  to  have  one  or  two  mornings 
a  week  to  keep  up  your  accent.  You  can  find  plenty  of 
practice  talking  to  the  people.  I  see  you  are  good  at  mak- 
ing friends,  and  are  ready  to  talk  to  labourers  at  work,  to 
boys,  to  the  market-women,  and  to  anyone  you  come  across, 
but  their  accent  is  bad,  and  it  would  be  well  for  you  to 
keep  on  with  me.  But  you  speak  at  present  much  better 
Spanish  than  the  people  here,  and  if  you  were  dressed  up 
as  a  young  Spaniard,  you  might  go  about  Spain  without 
anyone  suspecting  you  to  be  English." 

Indeed,  by  the  professor's  method  of  teaching,  assisted  by 
a  natural  aptitude,  and  three  hours'  daily  conversation  for 
five  months,  Bob  had  made  surprising  progress,  especially 
as  he  had  supplemented  his  lesson  by  continually  talking 
Spanish  with  Manola,  with  the  Spanish  woman  and  children 
living  below  them,  and  with  everyone  he  could  get  to  talk 
to. 

He  had  seen  little  of  Jim  since  the  trouble  began,  as  leave 
was,  for  the  most  part,  stopped,  the  ships  of  war  being  in 
readiness  to  proceed  to  sea  at  a  moment's  notice  to  engage 
an  enemy,  or  to  protect  merchantmen  coming  in,  from  the  at- 
tacks of  the  Spanish  ships  and  gunboats  across  at  Algeciras. 

Bob  generally  got  up  at  five  o'clock  now  and  went  out 


THE   SIEGE   BEGINS.  159 

for  two  or  three  hours  before  breakfast,  for  the  heat  had 
become  too  great  for  exercise  during  the  day.  He  greatly 
missed  the  market,  for  it  had  given  him  much  amusement 
to  watch  the  groups  of  peasant  women  with  their  baskets 
of  eggs,  fowls,  vegetables,  oranges,  and  fruit  of  various 
kinds,  bargaining  with  the  towns-people,  and  joking  and 
laughing  with  the  soldiers.  The  streets  were  now  almost 
deserted,  and  many  of  the  little  traders  in  vegetables  and 
fruit  had  closed  their  shops.  The  fishermen,  however,  still 
carried  on  their  work,  and  obtained  a  ready  sale  for  their 
catch.  There  had,  indeed,  been  a  much  greater  demand 
than  usual  for  fish,  owing  to  the  falling  off  in  the  fruit  and 
vegetable  supplies. 

The  cessation  of  trade  was  already  beginning  to  tell  upon 
the  poorer  part  of  the  population;  but  employment  was 
found  for  all  willing  to  labour,  either  at  collecting  earth  for 
the  batteries,  or  out  on  the  neutral  ground,  where  three 
hundred  of  them  were  employed  by  the  Engineers  in  level- 
ling sand  hummocks  and  other  inequalities  in  the  ground 
that  might  afford  any  shelter  to  an  enemy  creeping  up  to 
assault  the  gates  by  the  water-side.  Dr.  Burke  came  in 
with  Captain  O'Halloran  to  dinner  ten  days  after  the  gates 
had  been  closed. 

"You  are  quite  a  stranger,  Teddy,"  Mrs.  O'Halloran 
said. 

"I  am  that,"  he  replied;  "but  you  are  going  to  be 
bothered  with  me  again  now;  we  have  got  everything  in 
apple-pie  order,  and  are  ready  to  take  half  the  garrison 
under  our  charge.  There  has  been  lots  to  do.  All  the 
medical  stores  have  been  overhauled,  and  lists  made  out 
and  sent  home  of  everything  that  can  be  required — medi- 
cines and  comforts,  and  lint  and  bandages,  and  splints  and 
wooden  legs,  and  goodness  knows  what  besides.  We  hope 
they  will  be  out  in  the  first  convoy.  There  is  a  privateer 
going  to  sail  to-morrow,  so  if  you  want  to  send  letters  home 
or  to  order  anything  to  be  sent  out  to  you,  you  had  better 


160  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

take  the  opportunity.  Have  you  got  everything  you  want 
for  the  next  two  or  three  years?  " 

"Two  or  three  years  !  "  Carrie  repeated  in  tones  of  alarm. 
"You  mean  two  or  three  months." 

"Indeed  and  I  don't.  If  the  French  and  the  Dons  have 
made  up  their  mind  to  take  this  place,  and  once  set  to 
fairly  to  do  it,  they  are  bound  to  stick  to  it  for  a  bit.  1 
should  say  you  ought  to  provide  for  three  years." 

"But  that  is  downright  nonsense,  Teddy.  Why,  in  three 
months  there  ought  to  be  a  fleet  here  that  would  drive  all 
the  Prench  and  Spaniards  away." 

"Well,  if  you  say  there  ought  to  be,  there  ought,"  the 
doctor  said;  "but  where  is  it  to  come  from?  I  was  talking 
to  some  of  the  naval  men  yesterday,  and  they  all  say  it  will 
be  a  long  business  if  the  French  and  Spanish  are  in  earnest. 
The  French  navy  is  as  strong  as  ours,  and  the  Spaniards 
have  got  nearly  as  many  ships  as  the  French.  We  have 
got  to  protect  our  coasts  and  our  trade,  to  convoy  the  East 
Indian  fleets,  and  to  be  doing  something  all  over  the  world, 
and  they  doubt  whether  it  would  be  possible  to  get  together 
a  fleet  that  could  hope  to  defeat  the  French  and  Spanish 
navies  combined.  Well,  have  you  been  laying  in  stores, 
Mrs.  O'Halloran?" 

"  Yes,  we  have  bought  two  sacks  of  flour  and  fifty  pounds 
of  sugar,  ten  pounds  of  tea,  and  a  good  many  other 
things." 

"If  you  will  take  my  advice,"  the  doctor  said  earnestly, 
"you  will  lay  in  five  times  as  much.  Say  ten  sacks  of  flour, 
two  hundredweight  of  sugar,  and  everything  else  in  pro- 
portion. Those  sort  of  things  haven't  got  up  in  price  yet, 
but  you  will  see  everything  will  rise  as  soon  as  the  blockade 
begins  in  earnest." 

"No,  the  prices  of  those  things  have  not  gone  up  much; 
but  fruit  is  three  times  the  price  it  was  a  fortnight  ago,  and 
chickens  and  eggs  are  double,  and  vegetables  are  hardly  to 
be  bought." 


THE   SIEGE    BEGINS.  161 

"That  is  the  worst  of  it,"  the  doctor  said.  "It's  the 
vegetables  that  I  am  thinking  of." 

"Well,  we  can  do  without  vegetables,"  Mrs.  O'Halloran 
laughed,  "as  long  as  we  have  plenty  of  bread." 

"  It  is  just  that  you  can't  do.  You  see  we  shall  be  cut  off 
from  Tangier;  maybe  to-morrow,  maybe  a  fortnight  hence, 
but  we  shall  be  cut  off.  A  ship  may  run  in  sometimes  at 
night,  but  you  can't  count  upon  that;  and  it  is  salt  meat 
that  we  are  going  to  live  upon,  and  if  you  live  on  salt  meat 
you  have  got  to  have  vegetables  or  fruit  to  keep  you  in 
health. 

"  Now,  I  tell  you  what  I  should  do,  Gerald,  and  I  am  not 
joking  with  you.  In  the  first  place  I  would  make  an 
arrangement  with  the  people  downstairs,  and  I  would  hire 
their  garden  from  them.  I  don't  suppose  they  would  want 
much  for  it,  for  they  make  no  use  of  it  except  to  grow  a 
few  flowers.  Then  I  would  go  down  the  town,  and  I  would 
buy  up  all  the  chickens  I  could  get.  There  are  plenty  of 
them  to  be  picked  up  if  you  look  about  for  them,  for  most 
of  the  people  who  have  got  a  bit  of  ground  keep  a  few 
fowls.  Get  a  hundred  of  them  if  you  can,  and  turn 
them  into  the  garden.  Buy  up  twenty  sacks,  if  you  like,  of 
damaged  biscuits.  You  can  get  them  for  an  old  song.  The 
commissariat  have  been  clearing  out  their  stores,  and  there 
are  a  lot  of  damaged  biscuits  to  be  sold  by  auction  to- 
morrow. You  would  get  twenty  sacks  for  a  few  shillings. 
That  way  you  will  get  a  good  supply  of  eggs  if  the  siege 
lasts  ever  so  long,  and  you  can  fence  off  a  bit  of  the  garden 
and  raise  fowls  there.  That  will  give  you  a  supply  of  fresh 
meat,  and  any  eggs  and  poultry  you  can't  eat  yourselves 
you  can  sell  for  big  prices.  You  could  get  a  chicken  three 
weeks  ago  at  threepence.  Never  mind  if  you  have  to  pay 
a  shilling  for  them  now,  they  will  be  worth  five  shillings 
before  long.  If  you  can  rent  another  bit  of  garden  any- 
where near  I  would  take  it;  if  not,  I  would  hire  three  or 
four  men  to  collect  earth  and  bring  it  up  here.     This  is  a 


162  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

good  big  place;  I  suppose  it  is  thirty  feet  by  sixty.  Well, 
I  would  just  leave  a  path  from  the  door  there  up  to  this 
end,  and  a  spare  place  here  for  your  chairs,  and  I  would 
cover  the  rest  of  it  with  earth  nine  inches  or  a  foot  deep, 
and  I  would  plant  vegetables." 

"Do  you  mane  we  are  to  grow  cabbages  here,  Teddy?" 
Captain  O'Halloran  asked,  with  a  burst  of  laughter. 

"No,  I  wouldn't  grow  cabbages;  I  would  just  grow  mus- 
tard and  cress  and  radishes.  If  you  eat  plenty  of  them  they 
will  keep  off  scurvy,  and  all  you  don't  want  for  yourselves 
I  will  guarantee  you  will  be  able  to  sell  at  any  price  you 
like  to  ask  for  them,  and  if  nobody  else  will  buy  them  the 
hospitals  will.  They  would  be  the  saving  of  many  a  man's 
life." 

"But  they  would  want  watering,"  Captain  O'Halloran 
said  more  seriously,  for  he  saw  how  much  the  doctor  was 
in  earnest. 

"They  will  that.  You  will  have  no  difficulty  in  hiring  a 
man  to  bring  up  water,  and  to  tend  to  them  and  to  look 
after  the  fowls.  Men  will  be  glad  enough  to  work  for 
next  to  nothing.  I  tell  you,  Gerald,  if  I  wasn't  in  the  ser- 
vice I  should  hire  every  bit  of  land  I  could  lay  hands  on, 
and  employ  as  many  labourers  as  it  required,  and  I  should 
look  to  be  a  rich  man  before  the  end  of  the  siege.  I  was 
speaking  to  the  chief  surgeon  to-day  about  it,  and  he  is 
going  to  put  the  convalescents  to  work  on  a  bit  of  spare 
ground  there  is  at  the  back  of  the  hospital,  and  to  plant 
vegetables.  I  was  asking  down  the  town  yesterday,  and  I 
found  that  at  Blount's  store  you  can  get  as  much  vegetable 
seed  as  you  like.  You  lay  in  a  stock  to-day  of  mustard  and 
cress  and  radish.  Don't  be  afraid  of  the  expense — get 
twenty  pounds  of  each  of  them.  You  will  be  always  able 
to  sell  what  you  don't  want  at  ten  times  the  price  you  give 
for  it  now.  If  you  can  get  a  piece  more  garden-ground  take 
it  at  any  price  and  raise  other  vegetables,  but  keep  the  top 
of  the  house  here  for  what  I  tell  you.     Well,   I  said  nine 


THE    SIEGE    BEGINS.  163 

inches  deep  of  earth;  that  is  more  than  necessary.  Four 
and  a  half  will  do  for  the  radishes,  and  two  is  enough  for 
the  mustard  and  cress.  That  will  grow  on  a  blanket;  it  is 
really  only  water  that  it  wants." 

"What  do  you  think,  Carrie?"  Captain  O'Halloran  asked. 

"Well,  Gerald,  if  you  really  believe  the  siege  is  going  to 
last  like  that,  I  should  think  that  it  would  be  really  worth 
while  to  do  what  Teddy  Burke  advises.  Of  course  you  will 
be  too  busy  to  look  after  things,  but  Bob  might  do  so." 

"Of  course  I  would,"  Bob  broke  in.  "It  will  give  me 
something  to  do." 

"Well,  we  will  set  about  it  at  once  then.  I  will  speak 
to  the  man  downstairs.  You  know  he  has  got  two  or  three 
horses  and  traps  down  in  the  town,  and  lets  them  to  people 
driving  out  across  the  lines;  but  of  course  he  has  nothing 
to  do  now,  and  I  should  think  that  he  would  be  glad  enough 
to  arrange  to  look  after  the  fowls  and  the  things  up  here. 
The  garden  is  a  good  size.  I  don't  think  anything  could 
get  out  through  that  prickly-pear  hedge;  but,  anyhow,  any 
gaps  there  are  can  be  stopped  up  with  stakes.  I  think 
it  is  a  really  good  idea,  and  if  I  can  get  a  couple  of  hun- 
dred fowls,  I  will.  I  should  think  there  was  plenty  of 
room  for  them  in  the  garden.  I  will  set  up  as  a  poultry 
merchant." 

"You  might  do  worse,  Gerald.  I  will  bet  you  a  gallon 
of  whisky  they  will  be  selling  at  ten  shillings  a  couple 
before  this  business  is  over,  and  there  is  no  reason  in  the 
world  why  you  should  not  turn  an  honest  penny;  it  will  be 
a  novelty  to  you." 

"Well,  I  will  go  down  the  town  at  once,"  Gerald  said, 
"and  get  the  seeds  and  the  extra  stores  you  advise,  Teddy; 
and  to-morrow  I  will  go  to  the  commissariat  sale  and  buy 
a  ton  or  two  of  those  damaged  biscuits.  We  will  take 
another  room  from  them  downstairs  as  a  store-room  for 
that  and  the  eggs,  and  I  will  get  a  carpenter  to  come  up 
and  put  a  fence  and  make  some  runs  and  a  bit  of  a  shelter 


1G4  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

for  the  sitting  hens  and  the  chickens.  Bob  shall  do  the 
purchasing.  You  had  better  get  a  boy  with  a  big  basket  to 
go  with  you,  Bob;  and  go  round  to  the  cottages  to  buy  up 
fowls.  Mind,  don't  let  them  sell  you  nothing  but  cocks — 
one  to  every  seven  or  eight  hens  is  quite  enough;  and  don't 
let  them  foist  off  old  hens  on  you — the  younger  they  are  the 
better.  I  should  say  that  at  first  you  had  better  take  Manola 
with  you,  if  Carrie  can  spare  her,  then  you  won't  get  taken 
in,  and  you  will  soon  learn  to  tell  the  difference  between  an 
old  hen  and  a  young  chicken." 

"When  you  are  buying  the  seed,  O'Halloran,"  said  Dr. 
Burke,  "you  would  do  well  to  get  a  few  cucumbers,  and 
melons,  and  pumpkins;  they  will  grow  on  the  roof  splen- 
didly. And  you  can  plant  them  near  the  parapet  where 
they  will  grow  down  over  the  sides,  so  they  won't  take  up 
much  room,  and  you  can  pick  them  with  a  ladder.  The 
pumpkin  is  a  good  vegetable,  and  the  fowls  will  thank  you 
for  a  bit  to  pick  when  you  can  spare  one.  They  will  all 
want  manure,  but  you  get  plenty  of  that  from  the  fowl-yard." 

"Why,  Teddy,  there  seems  no  end  to  your  knowledge," 
Mrs.  O'Halloran  said;  "first  of  all  you  turn  out  to  be  a 
schoolmaster,  and  now  you  are  a  gardener  and  poultry- 
raiser.  And  to  think  I  never  gave  you  credit  for  knowing 
anything  except  medicine." 

"You  haven't  got  to  the  bottom  of  it  yet,  Mrs.  O'Hallo- 
ran; my  head  is  just  stored  with  knowledge,  only  it  isn't 
always  that  I  have  a  chance  of  making  it  useful.  I  would 
be  just  the  fellow  to  be  cast  on  a  desert  island;  there  is  no 
saying  what  I  wouldn't  do  towards  making  myself  comfort- 
able there.  But  I  do  know  about  scurvy,  for  I  made  a 
voyage  in  a  whaler  before  I  got  His  Majesty's  commission 
to  kill  and  slay  in  the  army,  and  I  know  how  necessary 
vegetables  are.  I  only  wish  we  had  known  what  the  Span- 
iards were  up  to  a  month  since,  we  would  have  got  a  cargo 
of  oranges  and  lemons;  they  would  have  been  worth  their 
weight  in  silver." 


THE   SIEGE    BEGINS.  165 

"But  they  wouldn't  have  kept,  Teddy." 

"No,  not  for  long;  but  we  would  have  squeezed  them, 
and  put  sugar  into  the  juice  and  bottled  it  off.  If  the 
general  had  consulted  me  that  is  what  he  would  have  been 
after,  instead  of  seeing  about  salt  meat  and  biscuits.  We 
shall  get  plenty  of  them  from  ships  that  run  in,  I  have  no 
fear  of  that;  but  it  is  the  acids  will  be  wanting." 

As  soon  as  dinner  was  over  Captain  O'Halloran  went 
downstairs,  and  had  no  difficulty  in  arranging  with  the  man 
below  for  the  entire  use  of  his  garden.  An  inspection  was 
made  of  the  hedge,  and  the  man  agreed  to  close  up  all  gaps 
that  fowls  could  possibly  creep  through.  He  was  also 
quite  willing  to  let  off  a  room  for  storage,  and  his  wife 
undertook  to  superintend  the  management  of  the  young 
broods  and  sitting  hens.  Having  arranged  this,  Captain 
O'Halloran  went  down  into  the  town  to  make  his  purchases. 
A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  Bob  started  with  Manola,  carry- 
ing a  large  basket,  and  both  were  much  amused  at  their 
errand.  Going  among  the  cottages  scattered  over  the  hill 
above  the  town,  they  had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  chickens 
and  fowls,  the  former  at  about  fivepence  apiece,  the  latter  at 
sevenpence — such  prices  being  more  than  double  the  usual 
rates.  Manola' s  basket  was  soon  full,  and  while  she  was 
taking  her  purchases  back  to  the  house  Bob  hired  two  boys 
with  baskets,  and  before  evening  nearly  a  hundred  fowls 
were  running  in  the  garden. 

The  next  day  Bob  was  considered  sufficiently  experienced 
to  undertake  the  business  alone,  and  in  two  more  days  the 
entire  number  of  two  hundred  had  been  made  up.  Three 
of  the  natives  had  been  engaged  in  collecting  baskets  of 
earth  among  the  rocks,  and  in  a  week  the  terrace  was  con- 
verted into  a  garden  ready  for  the  seeds.  As  yet  vegetables, 
although  very  dear,  had  not  risen  to  famine  prices,  for 
although  the  town  had  depended  chiefly  upon  the  produce 
of  the  mainland,  many  of  the  natives  had  grown  small 
patches  of  vegetables  in  their  gardens  for  their  own  use, 


166  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

and  these  they  now  disposed  of  at  prices  that  were  highly 
satisfactory  to  themselves.  O'Halloran's  farm,  as  they  called 
it  as  soon  as  they  heard  from  him  what  he  was  doing, 
became  quite  a  joke  in  the  regiment,  but  several  of  the 
other  married  officers  who  had  similar  facilities  for  keeping 
fowls  adopted  the  idea  to  some  extent,  and  started  with  a 
score  or  so  of  fowls. 

"I  wonder  you  didn't  think  of  pigs,  O'Halloran,"  one  of 
the  captains  said  laughing,  as  they  were  talking  over  the 
farm  in  the  mess  ante-room;  "pigs  and  potatoes.  The  idea 
of  you  and  Burke,  both  from  the  sod,  starting  a  farm  and 
not  thinking  first  of  the  two  chief  national  products." 

"There  is  not  room  for  praties,  Sinclair;  and  as  for  pigs, 
there  are  many  reasons  against  it.  In  the  first  place,  I 
doubt  whether  I  could  buy  any;  in  the  second,  there  isn't 
room  for  them;  in  the  third,  what  should  I  give  them  to 
keep  them  alive?  in  the  fourth,  pigs  are  illigant  bastes,  but 
in  a  hot  country  like  this  I  should  not  care  for  a  stye  of 
them  under  my  drawing-room  window;  in  the  fifth — " 

"That  will  do,  that  will  do,  O'Halloran;  we  give  way. 
We  allow  that  you  could  not  keep  pigs,  but  it  is  a  pity." 

"It  is  that,  Sinclair;  there  is  nothing  would  please  me 
better  than  to  see  a  score  of  nice  little  pigs  with  a  nate  stye, 
and  a  magazine  of  food  big  enough  to  keep  them,  say  for  a 
year." 

"Three  months,  O'Halloran,  would  be  ample." 

"Well,  we  shall  see,  Sinclair.  Teddy  Burke  says  three 
years,  but  I  do  hope  it  is  not  going  to  be  as  long  as  that." 

"Begorra!"  another  Irish  officer,  Captain  O'Moore,  ex- 
claimed; "if  it  is  three  years  we  are  going  to  be  here 
we  had  best  be  killed  and  buried  at  once.  I  have  been  all 
the  morning  in  the  Queen's  Battery,  where  my  company 
has  been  slaving  like  haythens,  with  the  sun  coming  down 
as  if  it  would  fry  your  brain  in  your  skull-pan;  and  if  that 
is  to  go  on  day  after  day  for  three  years,  I  should  be  dead 
in  a  month." 


THE   SIEGE    BEGINS.  167 

"That  is  nothing,  O'Moore;  if  the  siege  goes  on  they  say 
the  officers  will  have  to  help  at  the  work." 

"I  shall  protest  against  it.  There  is  not  a  word  in  the 
articles  of  war  about  officers  working.  I  am  willing  enough 
to  be  shot  by  the  Spaniards,  but  not  to  be  killed  by  inches. 
No,  sir,  there  is  not  an  O'Moore  ever  did  a  stroke  of  work 
since  the  flood,  and  I  am  not  going  to  demean  myself  by 
beginning.     What  are  you  laughing  at,  young  Repton?" 

"I  was  only  wondering,  Captain  O'Moore,  how  your 
ancestors  got  through  the  flood.  Unless,  indeed,  Noah  was 
an  O'Moore." 

"There  is  reason  to  believe  that  he  was,"  the  captain 
said  seriously.  "It  must  have  been  that,  if  he  hadn't  a 
boat  of  his  own  or  found  a  mountain  that  the  water  didn't 
cover.  I  have  got  the  tree  of  the  family  at  home,  and  an 
old  gentleman  who  was  learned  in  these  things  came  to  the 
house  when  I  was  a  boy,  and  I  remember  right  well  that  he 
said  to  my  father,  after  reckoning  them  up,  that  the  first  of 
the  house  must  have  had  a  place  there  in  Ireland  well-nigh 
a  thousand  years  before  Adam.  I  don't  think  my  father 
quite  liked  it,  but  for  the  life  of  me  I  couldn't  see  why.  It 
was  just  what  1  should  expect  from  the  O'Moores.  Didn't 
they  give  kings  to  Ireland  for  generations,  and  what  should 
they  want  to  be  doing  out  among  those  rivers  in  the  East 
when  there  was  Ireland  ready  to  receive  them." 

Captain  O'Moore  spoke  so  seriously  that  Bob  did  not 
venture  to  laugh,  but  listened  with  an  air  of  gravity  equal 
to  that  of  the  officer. 

"You  will  kill  me  altogether,  Phelim  !  "  Captain  O'Hallo- 
ran  exclaimed  amid  a  great  shout  of  laughter,  in  which  all 
the  others  joined.  The  O'Moore  looked  round,  speechless 
with  indignation. 

"Gentlemen,"  he  said,  "I  shall  expect  satisfaction  for 
this  insult.  The  word  of  an  O'Moore  has  never  been  doubted. 
Captain  O'Halloran,  my  friend  will  call  upon  you  first." 

"He  may  call  as  often  as  he  likes,  O'Moore,  and  I  shall 


168  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

be  happy  to  converse  with  any  friend  of  yours,  but  at  present 
that  is  all  the  satisfaction  you  will  get  out  of  me.  Duelling 
is  strictly  forbidden  on  the  Rock,  and  there  is  no  getting 
across  the  Spanish  lines  to  fight,  unless,  indeed,  you  can  per- 
suade the  governor  to  send  out  a  flag  of  truce  with  us.  So 
we  must  let  the  matter  rest  till  the  siege  is  over,  and  then  if 
both  of  us  are  alive  and  you  have  the  same  mind  we  will 
talk  about  it." 

"I  think,  O'Moore,"  Dr.  Burke,  who  had  entered  the 
room  two  or  three  minutes  before,  said  persuasively,  "you 
will  see  that  you  are  the  last  man  who  ought  to  maintain 
that  the  first  of  your  race  lived  here  as  far  back  as  Adam. 
You  see,  we  are  all  direct  descendants  of  Adam — I  mean  all 
the  rest  of  us." 

"No  doubt  you  are,"  Captain  O'Moore  said  stiffly. 

"And  one  has  just  as  much  right  as  another  to  claim  that 
he  is  the  heir  in  a  direct  line." 

"I  suppose  so,  Burke,"  the  officer  said,  "though  for  the 
life  of  me  I  can't  see  what  you  are  driving  at." 

"What  1  mean  is  this.  Suppose  Adam  and  the  O'Moore 
started  at  the  same  time,  one  in  Ireland  and  the  other  in 
Eden,  and  they  had  an  equal  number  of  children,  as  was 
likely  enough,  half  the  people  in  the  world  would  be 
descendants  of  Adam  and  the  other  half  of  the  O'Moore; 
and,  you  see,  instead  of  your  being  the  O'Moore,  the  genu- 
ine descendant  in  the  direct  line  from  the  first  of  the  family, 
half  the  world  would  have  an  equal  claim  to  the  title." 

Captain  O'Moore  reflected  for  a  minute  or  two. 

"You  are  right,  Dr.  Burke,"  he  said.  "I  never  saw  it  in 
that  light.  It  is  clear  enough  that  you  are  right,  and  that 
the  less  we  say  about  the  O'Moores  before  the  first  Irish 
king  of  that  name,  the  better.  There  must  have  been  some 
mistake  about  that  tree  I  spoke  of.  Captain  O'Halloran,  I 
apologize;  I  was  wrong." 

The  two  officers  shook  hands,  and  peace  was  restored; 
but  Captain  O'Moore  was  evidently  a  good  deal  puzzled  and 


THE   SIEGE    BEGINS.  169 

mortified  by  the  problem  the  doctor  had  set  before  him, 
and  after  remaining  silent  for  some  time  evidently  in  deep 
thought,  he  left  the  room.  Some  of  the  others  watched  him 
from  the  window  until  he  had  entered  the  door  of  his  own 
quarters,  and  then  there  was  a  general  shout  of  laughter. 

"The  O'Moore  will  be  the  death  of  me !  "  Teddy  Burke 
exclaimed,  as  he  threw  himself  back  in  a  chair  exhausted. 
"  He  is  one  of  the  best  fellows  going,  but  you  can  lead  him 
on  into  anything.  I  don't  suppose  he  ever  gave  a  thought 
to  the  O'Moores  anywhere  further  back  than  those  kings. 
He  had  a  vague  idea  that  they  must  have  been  going  on, 
simply  because  it  must  have  seemed  to  him  that  a  world 
without  an  O'Moore  in  it  would  be  necessarily  imperfect. 
It  was  Bob  Repton's  questions  as  to  what  they  were  doing 
at  the  time  of  the  flood  that  brought  him  suddenly  up,  then 
he  didn't  hesitate  for  a  moment  in  taking  them  back  to 
Adam  or  before  him.  Just  on  the  ancestry  of  the  O'Moores 
Phelim  has  got  a  tile  a  little  loose,  but  on  all  other  points 
he  is  as  sensible  as  anyone  in  the  regiment." 

"  I  wonder  you  didn't  add,  'and  that  is  not  saying  much,' 
doctor,"  one  of  the  lieutenants  said. 

"I  may  have  thought  it,  youngster;  but,  you  see,  I  must 
have  made  exceptions  in  favour  of  myself  and  the  colonel, 
so  I  held  my  tongue.  The  fact  that  we  are  all  here  under  a 
sun  hot  enough  to  cook  a  beef-steak,  and  that  for  the  next 
two  or  three  years  we  are  going  to  have  to  work  like  niggers, 
and  to  be  shot  at  by  the  Spaniards,  and  to  be  pretty  well  if 
not  quite  starved,  speaks  for  itself  as  to  the  amount  of  sense 
we  have  got  between  us.  There  go  the  drums !  Now, 
gentlemen,  you  have  got  the  pleasure  of  a  couple  of  hours' 
drill  before  you,  and  I  am  due  at  the  hospital." 


CHAPTER   IX. 


THE    "ANTELOPE. 


ON  the  3d  of  July  a  hundred  and  eighty  volunteers  from 
the  infantry  joined  the  artillery,  who  were  not  numerous 
enough  to  work  all  the  guns  of  the  batteries,  and  two  days 
later  a  Spanish  squadron  of  two  men-of-war,  five  frigates, 
and  eleven  smaller  vessels  hove  in  sight  from  the  west,  and 
lay  to  off  the  entrance  to  the  bay.  Three  privateers  came 
in,  and  one  of  the  Spanish  schooners  stood  across  to  recon- 
noitre them,  and  a  shot  was  fired  at  her  from  the  batteries 
on  Europa  Point.  The  Enterprise  frigate  had  gone  across 
to  Tetuan  to  bring  Mr.  Logie  over  again.  On  her  return 
she  was  chased  by  the  enemy's  squadron,  but  succeeded  in 
giving  them  the  slip  in  the  dark.  As  she  neared  the  Rock 
the  captain  fearing  to  be  discovered  by  the  enemy,  did  not 
show  the  usual  lights,  and  several  shots  were  fired  at  the 
ship,  but  fortunately  without  effect.  On  the  following  day 
letters  were  received  from  England  with  the  official  news 
that  hostilities  had  commenced  between  Great  Britain  and 
Spain,  and  the  same  evening  a  proclamation  was  published 
authorizing  the  capture  of  Spanish  vessels,  and  letters  of 
marque  were  given  to  the  privateers  in  the  bay,  permitting 
them  to  capture  Spanish  as  well  as  French  vessels.  Among 
the  privateers  was  the  Antelope,  which  was  one  of  those  that 
had  come  in  on  the  previous  afternoon.  Bob  had  not  heard 
of  her  arrival  when  he  ran  against  Captain  Lockett  in  the 
town  next  morning.  They  had  not  met  since  Bob  had 
landed  six  months  before. 


THE    "  ANTELOPE."  171 

"Well,  Master  Reptoh,"  the  captain  said  after  they  had 
shaken  hands,  "I  was  coming  up  to  see  you  after  I  had 
managed  my  business.  I  have  letters  from  Mr.  Bale  for  you 
and  Mrs.  O'Halloran." 

"You  are  all  well  on  board,  I  hope,  captain?  " 

"Joe  is  well.  He  is  first-mate  now.  Poor  Probert  is  on 
his  back  in  hospital  at  Portsmouth.  We  had  a  sharp  brush 
with  a  French  privateer,  but  we  beat  her  off.  We  had  five 
men  killed,  and  Probert  had  his  leg  taken  off  by  an  eighteen- 
pound  shot.  We  clapped  on  a  tourniquet,  but  he  had  a 
very  narrow  escape  of  bleeding  to  death.  Fortunately  it 
was  off  Ushant,  and  the  wind  being  favourable  we  got  into 
Portsmouth  on  the  following  morning,  and  the  doctors  think 
that  they  will  pull  him  round.  You  have  grown  a  good  bit 
since  I  saw  you  last." 

"Not  much,  I  am  afraid,"  Bob  replied  dolefully,  for  his 
height  was  rather  a  sore  point  with  him.  "  I  get  wider,  but 
I  don't  think  I  have  grown  half  an  inch  since  I  came  here." 

"And  how  goes  on  the  Spanish?  " 

"First-rate.  I  can  get  on  in  it  almost  as  well  as  in 
English." 

"So  you  are  in  for  some  more  fighting?  " 

"So  they  say,"  Bob  replied;  "but  I  don't  think  I  am 
likely  to  have  as  close  a  shave  of  a  Spanish  prison  as  I  had 
of  a  French  one  coming  out  here." 

"No;  we  had  a  narrow  squeak  of  it  that  time." 

"Was  war  declared  when  you  came  away?  " 

"No;  the  negotiations  were  broken  off,  and  everyone 
knew  that  war  was  certain,  and  that  the  proclamation  might 
be  issued  at  any  hour.  I  have  not  had  a  very  fast  run,  and 
expected  to  have  learned  the  news  when  I  got  here,  but  you 
are  sure  to  hear  it  in  a  day  or  two.  That  was  why  I  came 
here.  Freights  were  short,  for  with  the  ports  of  France  and 
Spain  both  closed  there  was  little  enough  doing,  so  the 
owners  agreed  to  let  me  drop  trading  and  make  straight  for 
Gibraltar,  so  as  to  be  ready  to  put  out  as  soon  as  we  get  the 


172  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

declaration  of  war.  There  ought  to  be  some  first-rate  pick- 
ings along  the  coast.  It  isn't  here  as  it  is  with  France, 
where  they  have  learned  to  be  precious  cautious,  and 
where  one  daren't  risk  running  in  close  to  their  coast  on 
the  chance  of  picking  up  a  prize,  for  the  waters  swarm 
with  their  privateers.  The  Spaniards  are  a  very  slow 
set,  and  there  is  not  much  fear  of  their  fitting  out  many 
privateers  for  months  to  come,  and  the  coasters  will  be  a 
long  time  before  they  wake  up  to  the  fact  that  Spain  is  at 
war  with  us,  and  will  go  lumbering  along  from  port  to  port 
without  the  least  fear  of  being  captured.  So  it  is  a  rare 
chance  of  making  prize-money.  If  you  like  a  cruise  I  shall 
be  very  happy  to  take  you  with  me.  I  have  seen  you  under 
fire,  you  know,  and  know  that  you  are  to  be  depended 
upon." 

"I  should  like  to  go  above  all  things,"  Bob  said;  "but  I 
don't  know  what  my  sister  would  say.  I  must  get  at  her 
husband  first.  If  I  can  get  him  on  my  side  I  think  I  shall 
be  able  to  manage  it  with  her.  Well,  will  you  come  up  to 
dinner? " 

"  No,  I  shall  be  busy  all  day.  Here  are  the  letters  I  was 
speaking  of." 

"Well,  we  have  supper  at  seven.     Will  you  come  then?  " 

"With  pleasure." 

"Will  Joe  be  able  to  come  too?  " 

"No;  it  wouldn't  do  for  us  both  to  leave  the  brig.  The 
Spanish  fleet  may  be  sending  in  their  boats  to  try  and  cut 
some  of  our  vessels  out,  and  I  should  not  feel  comfortable  if 
we  were  both  ashore ;  but  he  will  be  very  glad  to  see  you 
on  board.  We  are  anchored  a  cable-length  from  the  Water 
Port.  You  are  pretty  sure  to  see  one  of  our  boats  alongside. 
The  steward  came  off  with  me  to  buy  some  soft  tack  and 
fresh  meat.  I  saw  him  just  before  I  met  you.  He  told  me 
he  had  got  some  bread,  but  that  meat  was  at  a  ruinous 
price.  I  told  him  that  he  must  get  it  whatever  price  it 
was,  and  I  expect  by  this  time  he  has  done  so;  so  if  you 


THE    "ANTELOPE."  173 

look  sharp  you  will  get  to  the  boat  before  it  puts  off  with 
him." 

The  steward  was  in  the  act  of  getting  into  the  boat  as 
Bob  ran  down.  "  Glad  to  see  you,  Mister  Repton,"  the  man 
said,  touching  his  hat.     "  Have  you  seen  the  captain,  sir?  " 

"Yes,  I  have  just  left  him.  He  told  me  I  should  catch 
you  here." 

"Thinking  of  having  another  cruise  with  us,  sir?  " 

"  I  am  thinking  about  it,  Parker,  but  I  don't  know  whether 
I  shall  be  able  to  manage  it." 

They  were  soon  alongside  the  Antelope. 

"  I  thought  it  was  you,  Mister  Repton,  when  I  saw  you  run 
down  to  the  boat,"  Joe  Lockett  said  as  he  shook  hands 
with  Bob. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you  again,  Joe,  and  I  am  glad  to  hear 
you  are  first-mate  now;  though,  of  course,  I  am  sorry  for 
Mr.  Probert." 

"Yes,  a  bad  job  for  him,  a  very  bad  job;  but  it  won't  be 
so  bad  in  his  case  as  in  some.  He  has  been  talking  for  the 
last  two  or  three  voyages  of  retiring.  An  old  uncle  of  his 
died  and  left  him  a  few  acres  of  land  down  in  Essex,  and  he 
has  saved  a  bit  of  money  out  of  his  pay  and  his  share  of  the 
prizes  we  have  made,  and  he  talked  about  giving  up  the  sea 
and  settling  down  on  shore.  So  now  he  will  do  it.  He  said 
as  much  as  that  the  night  he  was  wounded.  'Well,'  he  said, 
'there  won't  be  any  more  trouble  about  making  up  my 
mind,  Joe.  If  I  do  get  over  this  job,  I  have  got  to  lay  up 
as  a  dismantled  hulk  for  the  rest  of  my  life.  I  have  been 
talking  of  it  to  you,  but  I  doubt  whether  I  should  ever 
have  brought  myself  to  it  if  it  had  not  been  for  them 
Frenchmen's  shot. '  Well,  will  you  come  into  the  cabin  and 
take  something?  " 

"No,  thank  you,  Joe." 

"  Have  they  got  the  news  about  the  declaration  of  war 
yet,  Mister  Repton?" 

"No,  it  hasn't  arrived  yet." 


174  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

"  I  expect  we  shall  get  some  good  pickings  along  the  coast 
directly  it  comes.  We  have  been  trading  regularly  this  last 
year,  and  we  all  of  us  want  the  chance  of  earning  a  bit  of 
prize-money.  So  I  can  tell  you  we  were  very  glad  when  we 
heard  that  we  were  going  to  take  to  that  again  for  a  bit." 

"Yes,  the  captain  was  telling  rae  about  it,  and  he  has 
asked  me  to  go  for  a  trip  with  you." 

"Well,  I  hope  that  you  will  be  able  to  come,  Mister 
Repton." 

"I  hope  so,  Joe.  But  there  is  one  thing,  if  I  do  come 
you  must  call  me  Bob;  I  hate  being  called  Mister  Repton." 

"Well,  it  would  be  different  if  you  come  with  us  like 
that,"  the  young  mate  said.  "  You  see  you  were  a  passenger 
before,  but  if  you  came  like  this  you  will  be  here  as  a  friend 
like.  So  it  will  come  natural  to  call  you  Bob.  And  how 
do  you  like  the  place?  " 

"  Oh,  I  like  it  well  enough  !  I  have  been  working  very 
hard — at  least  pretty  hard — so  I  haven't  had  time  to  feel  it 
dull;  and  of  course  I  know  all  the  officers  in  my  brother-in- 
law's  regiment.  But  I  shall  be  very  glad  indeed  of  a  cruise, 
especially  as  we  are  likely  presently,  by  all  they  say,  to  be 
cut  off  here,  some  say  for  months,  some  say  for  years." 

"But  still  I  expect  there  will  be  some  lively  work,"  the 
mate  said,  "  if  the  Spaniards  really  mean  to  try  and  take  this 
place." 

"They  will  never  take  it,"  Bob  said,  "unless  they  are  able 
to  starve  us  out;  and  they  ought  not  to  be  able  to  do  that. 
Ships  ought  to  be  able  to  run  in  from  the  east  at  any  time, 
for  the  Spaniards  dare  not  come  across  within  range  of  the 
guns,  and  if  the  wind  was  strong,  they  could  not  get  out 
from  their  side  of  the  bay." 

"That  is  true  enough,  and  I  expect  you  will  find  fast- 
sailing  craft,  privateers  and  such  like  will  dodge  in  and  out; 
but  a  merchantman  won't  like  to  venture  over  this  side  of 
the  Straits,  but  will  keep  along  the  Moorish  coasts.  You 
see  they  can't  keep  along  the  Spanish  side  without  the  risk 


THE  "antelope."  175 

of  being  picked  up  by  the  gunboats  and  galleys  with  the 
blockading  fleet.  There  are  a  dozen  small  craft  lying  over 
there  now  with  the  men-of-war.  Still  I  don't  say  none  of 
them  will  make  their  way  in  here,  because  I  daresay  they 
will.  They  well  know  they  will  get  big  prices  for  their  goods 
if  they  can  manage  to  run  the  blockade.  We  are  safe  to  pick 
up  some  of  the  native  craft  and  bring  them  in,  and  so  will 
the  other  privateers.  I  expect  there  will  be  a  good  many 
down  here  before  long.  The  worst  of  it  is,  there  won't  be 
any  sale  for  the  craft  we  capture." 

"  Except  for  firewood,  Joe.  That  is  one  of  the  things  I 
have  heard  we  are  sure  to  run  very  short  of  if  there  is  a 
long  siege." 

"  Well,  that  will  be  something,  and  of  course  any  prizes 
we  take  laden  with  things  likely  to  be  useful  and  sell  here 
we  shall  bring  in;  but  the  rest  we  shall  have  to  send  over 
to  the  other  side,  so  as  to  be  out  of  sight  of  their  fleet,  and 
then  take  them  straight  back  to  England.  You  see  we  have 
shipped  twice  as  many  hands  as  we  had  on  the  voyage 
when  you  were  with  us.  We  had  only  a  trader's  crew  then, 
now  we  have  a  privateer's.  Look  there!  There  is  a  craft 
making  in  from  the  south.  It  is  like  enough  she  has  got 
the  despatches  on  board.  There  are  two  or  three  of  those 
small  Spanish  craft  getting  under  sail  to  cut  her  off,  but  they 
won't  do  it.  They  could  not  head  her  without  getting 
under  the  fire  of  the  guns  of  those  batteries  on  the  point." 

"Well,  I  will  go  ashore  now,  Joe,  if  you  will  let  me  have 
the  boat.  The  captain  is  going  to  have  supper  with  us  to- 
night. I  wanted  you  to  come  too,  but  he  said  you  could  not 
both  come  on  shore  together.  I  hope  we  shall  see  you 
to-morrow." 

On  landing  Bob  made  his  way  to  the  barrack,  so  as  to 
intercept  Gerald  when  he  came  off  duty. 

"Look  here,  Gerald,"  he  said  when  Captain  O'Halloran 
came  out  of  the  orderlv-room,  "  I  want  you  to  back  me  up." 

"Oh,  you  do?     Then  I  am  quite  sure  that  you  are  up  to 


176  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

some  mischief  or  other,  Bob,  or  you  wouldn't  want  me  to 
help  you  with  Carrie." 

"  It  is  not  mischief  at  all,  Gerald.  The  Antelope  came  in 
last  night,  and  I  saw  Captain  Lockett  this  morning,  and  I 
have  asked  him  to  come  to  supper." 

"Well,  that  is  all  right,  Bob.  We  have  plenty  of  food 
at  present." 

"Yes,  but  that  is  not  it,  Gerald.  He  has  invited  me  to 
go  for  a  cruise  with  him.  He  is  going  to  pick  up  some 
prizes  along  the  Spanish  coast." 

"Oh,  that  is  it,  is  it?  Well,  you  know  very  well  Carrie 
won't  let  you  go." 

"Well,  why  shouldn't  I,  Gerald?  You  know  that  I  have 
been  working  very  well  here,  and  I  am  sure  I  have  learnt 
as  much  Spanish  in  six  months  as  uncle  expected  me  to 
learn  in  two  years,  besides  lots  of  Latin  and  other  things 
from  the  doctor.  Now,  I  do  think  that  I  have  earned  a 
holiday.  A  fellow  at  school  always  has  a  holiday.  I  am 
sure  I  have  worked  as  hard  as  I  did  at  school.  I  think  it 
only  fair  that  I  should  have  a  holiday.  Besides,  you  see,  I 
am  past  sixteen  now,  and  being  out  here  I  think  I  ought  to 
have  the  chance  of  any  fun  there  is,  especially  as  we  may 
be  shut  up  here  for  ever  so  long." 

"  Well,  there  may  be  something  in  that,  Bob.  You  cer- 
tainly have  stuck  at  it  well;  and  you  have  not  got  into  a 
single  scrape  since  you  came  out,  which  is  a  deal  more  than 
I  expected  of  you." 

"  Besides,  you  see,  Gerald,  if  I  had  not  made  up  my  mind 
to  stick  to  uncle's  business  I  might  have  been  on  board 
the  Brilliant  now  with  Jim  Sankey,  and  I  think  after  my 
giving  up  that  chance  it  would  be  only  fair  that  I  should  be 
allowed  to  have  a  cruise,  now  that  there  is  such  a  splendid 
opportunity." 

"Well,  Bob,  I  will  do  my  best  to  persuade  Carrie  to  let 
you  go;  but  as  far  as  you  are  concerned,  you  know,  she  is 
commanding;  officer." 


THE    "ANTELOPE."  177 

Bob  laughed,  for  he  knew  well  enough  that  not  only  in 
that  but  in  all  other  matters  his  sister  generally  had  her 
own  way. 

"Well,  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you,  Gerald.  I  am 
sure  I  should  enjoy  it  awfully." 

"Don't  thank  me  too  soon,  Bob.  You  have  your  sister 
to  manage  yet." 

"Oh,  we  ought  to  be  able  to  manage  her  between  us!  " 
Bob  said  confidently.  "  Look  how  you  managed  to  have 
Dr.  Burke  for  me,  and  you  know  how  well  that  turned  out." 

"Yes,  that  was  a  triumph,  Bob.  Well,  we  will  do  our 
best." 

"Why,  Bob,  where  have  you  been  all  the  morning?  "  his 
sister  said.  "The  professor  came  at  ten  o'clock.  He  said 
he  had  arranged  with  you  that  he  should  be  an  hour  later 
than  usual,  as  he  had  another  engagement  early." 

"I  forgot  all  about  him,  Carrie;  he  never  came  into 
my  mind  once  since  breakfast.  I  met  Captain  Lockett 
down  in  the  town  as  soon  as  I  went  out,  and  I  wanted  him 
to  come  here  to  dinner.  I  knew  you  would  be  glad  to  see 
him,  for  you  said  you  liked  him  very  much;  but  he  said  he 
should  be  too  busy,  but  he  is  coming  up  to  supper  at  seven. 
Then  I  went  on  board  the  Antelope  and  had  a  chat  with  his 
cousin  Joe,  who  is  first-mate  now." 

When  dinner  was  finished  Bob  said:  "Don't  you  think, 
Carrie,  I  am  looking  pale?  What  with  the  heat,  and  what 
with  my  sticking  in  and  working  so  many  hours  a  day,  I 
begin  to  feel  that  it  is  too  much  for  me." 

His  sister  looked  anxiously  at  him.  "  Well,  Bob,  you  are 
looking  a  little  pale,  but  so  is  everybody  else;  and  no  won- 
der, with  this  heat.  But  I  have  not  been  noticing  you  par- 
ticularly.    What  do  you  feel,  Bob?  " 

"I  think  Bob  feels  as  if  he  wants  a  holiday,"  Captain 
O'Halloran  put  in. 

"Well,  then,  we  must  tell  the  professor  that  we  don't 
want  him  to  come  for  a  bit.     Of  course  Teddy  Burke  has 


178  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

given  up  coming  already.  But  if  you  have  a  holiday,  Bob, 
what  will  you  do  with  yourself?  " 

"I  don't  think  I  shall  get  any  better  here,  Carrie.  I 
think  I  want  change  of  air." 

"Nonsense,  Bob!  You  can't  be  as  bad  as  all  that,  and 
you  never  said  anything  about  it  before.  If  he  is  not 
well  you  must  ask  Teddy  Burke  to  come  up  to  see  him, 
Gerald.  Besides,  how  can  he  have  change  of  air?  The 
only  place  he  could  go  would  be  Tetuan,  and  it  would 
be  hotter  there  than  it  is  here." 

"I  think,  Carrie,"  Captain  O'Halloran  said,  "I  can  pre- 
scribe for  him  without  calling  Teddy  Burke  in.  I  fancy  the 
very  thing  that  would  get  Bob  set  up  would  be  a  sea  voy- 
age." 

"  A  sea  voyage  !  "  his  wife  repeated.  "  Do  you  mean  that 
he  should  go  back  to  England  ?  I  don't  see  anything  serious 
the  matter  with  him.  Surely  there  cannot  be  anything 
serious  enough  for  that." 

"No,  not  so  serious  as  that,  Carrie.  Just  a  cruise  for  a 
bit,  on  board  the  Antelope  for  example." 

Mrs.  O'Halloran  looked  from  one  to  the  other,  and  then, 
catching  a  twinkle  in  Bob's  eye,  the  truth  flashed  across 
her. 

"You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself,  Gerald,"  she  said, 
laughing  in  spite  of  herself.  "You  have  quite  frightened 
me.  I  see  now.  Captain  Lockett  has  invited  Bob  to  go  for 
a  cruise  with  him,  and  all  this  about  his  being  ill  is  nonsense 
from  beginning  to  end.  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  you 
have  been  encouraging  Bob  in  this  ridiculous  idea?  " 

"I  don't  know  about  encouraging,  Carrie;  but  when  he 
put  it  to  me  that  he  had  been  working  very  steadily  for 
the  last  six  months,  and  that  he  had  got  into  no  scrapes, 
and  that  he  had  really  earned  a  holiday,  and  that  this  would 
be  a  very  jolly  one,  I  did  not  see  any  particular  reason  why 
he  shouldn't  have  it." 

"  No  particular  reason !     Why,  the  Antelope  is  a  privateer; 


THE  "antelope."  179 

and  if  she  is  going  to  cruise  about,  that  means  that  she  is 
going  to  fight,  and  he  may  get  shot." 

"  So  he  may  here,  Carrie,  if  a  ball  happens  to  come  the 
right  way.  I  think  Bob  certainly  deserves  a  reward  for  the 
way  he  has  stuck  to  his  lessons.  You  know  you  never  ex- 
pected he  would  do  as  he  has  done;  and  I  am  sure  his 
uncle  would  be  delighted  if  he  heard  how  well  he  speaks 
Spanish.  As  to  his  health  the  boy  is  well  enough,  but 
there  is  no  denying  that  this  hot  weather  we  are  having 
takes  it  out  of  us  all,  and  that  it  would  be  a  mighty  good 
thing  if  every  soul  on  the  Rock  had  the  chance  of  a  month's 
cruise  at  sea  to  set  him  up.  But  seriously,  Carrie,  I  don't 
see  any  reason  whatever  why  he  should  not  go.  We  didn't 
bring  the  boy  out  here  to  make  a  mollycoddle  of  him.  He 
has  got  to  settle  down  some  day  in  a  musty  old  office,  and 
it  seems  to  me  that  he  ought  to  have  his  share  in  any  fun 
and  diversion  that  he  has  a  chance  of  getting  at  now. 
As  to  danger,  sure  you  are  a  soldier's  wife ;  and  why  shouldn't 
he  have  a  share  of  it  just  the  same  as  if  he  had  gone  into 
the  navy?  You  wouldn't  have  made  any  hullabaloo  about 
it  if  he  had  done  that.  This  is  Bob's  good  time,  let  him 
enjoy  it.  You  are  not  going  to  keep  a  lad  of  his  age  tied 
to  your  apron  strings.  He  has  just  got  the  chance  of  having 
two  or  three  years  of  fighting  and  adventure.  It  will  be 
something  for  him  to  talk  about  all  his  life;  and  my  opinion 
is,  that  you  had  best  let  him  go  his  own  way.  There  are 
hundreds  and  hundreds  of  lads  his  age  knocking  about  the 
world,  and  running  all  sorts  of  risks,  without  having  elder 
sisters  worrying  over  them." 

"Very  well,  Gerald,  if  you  and  Bob  have  made  up  your 
minds  about  it,  it  is  no  use  my  saying  no.  I  am  sure 
I  don't  want  to  make  a  mollycoddle,  as  you  call  it,  of 
him.  Of  course  uncle  will  blame  me  if  any  harm  comes 
of  it." 

"  No  he  won't,  Carrie.  Your  uncle  wants  the  boy  to  be  a 
gentleman  and  a  man  of  the  world.     If  you  had  said  that  a 


180  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

year  ago  I  would  have  agreed  with-  you;  but  we  know  him 
better  now,  and  I  will  be  bound  he  will  like  him  to  see  as 
much  life  as  he  can  during  this  time.  He  has  sent  him  out 
into  the  world.  I  will  write  to  your  uncle  myself,  and  tell 
him  it  is  my  doing  entirely,  and  that  I  think  it  is  a  good 
thing  Bob  should  take  every  chance  he  gets,  and  that  I  will 
answer  for  it  that  he  won't  be  any  the  less  ready  when  the 
time  comes  for  buckling  to  at  business." 

"Well,  if  you  really  think  that,  Gerald,  I  have  nothing 
more  to  say.  You  know  I  should  like  Bob  to  enjoy  himself 
as  much  as  he  can,  only  I  seem  to  have  the  responsibility  of 
him." 

"I  don't  see  why  you  worry  about  that,  Carrie.  If  he 
had  gone  out  to  Cadiz  or  Oporto,  as  your  uncle  intended, 
you  don't  suppose  the  people  there  would  have  troubled 
themselves  about  him.  He  would  just  have  gone  his  own 
way.  You  went  your  own  way,  didn't  you?  and  it  is 
mighty  little  you  troubled  yourself  about  what  your  uncle 
was  likely  to  say  when  you  took  up  with  an  Irishman  in  a 
marching  regiment,  and  I  don't  see  why  you  should  trouble 
now.  The  old  gentleman  means  well  with  the  boy,  but, 
after  all,  he  is  not  either  his  father  or  his  mother.  You  are 
his  nearest  relation,  and  though  you  are  a  married  woman, 
you  are  not  old  enough  yet  to  expect  that  a  boy  of  Bob's 
age  is  going  to  treat  you  as  if  you  were  his  mother  instead 
of  his  sister ;  there  is  not  one  boy  in  fifty  would  have  minded 
us  as  he  has  done." 

"  Well,  Bob,  there  is  nothing  more  for  me  to  say  after 
that,"  Carrie  said  half  laughing,  though  there  were  tears  in 
her  eyes. 

"  No,  no,  Carrie;  I  won't  go  if  you  don't  like,"  Bob  said 
impetuously. 

"Yes,  you  shall  go,  Bob.  Gerald  is  quite  right.  It  is 
better  you  should  begin  to  think  for  yourself,  and  I  am  sure 
I  should  like  you  to  see  things,  and  to  enjoy  yourself  as 
much  as  you  can.     I  don't  know  why  I  should  fidget  about 


THE   "ANTELOPE."  181 

you,  for  you  showed  you  had  much  more  good  sense  than 
I  credited  you  with,  when  you  gave  up  your  chance  of 
going  to  sea  and  went  into  uncle's  office.  I  am  sure  I  am 
the  last  person  who  ought  to  lecture  you,  after  choosing  to 
run  about  all  over  the  world,  and  to  take  the  risk  of  being 
starved  here,"  and  she  smiled  at  her  husband.  "You  do  as 
you  like,  Bob,"  she  went  on,  "I  won't  worry  about  you  in 
future;  only  if  you  have  to  go  back  to  England  without  a 
leg  or  an  arm,  don't  blame  me;  and  be  sure  you  tell  uncle 
that  I  made  as  good  a  tight  against  it  as  I  could." 

And  so  it  was  settled. 

"By  the  way,"  Bob  exclaimed  presently,  "I  have  got  a 
letter  from  uncle  to  you  in  my  pocket,  and  one  for  myself 
also.  Captain  Lockett  gave  them  to  me  this  morning,  but  I 
forgot  all  about  them." 

"Well,  you  are  a  boy!  "  his  sister  exclaimed.  "This  is 
a  nice  sample,  Gerald,  of  Bob's  thoughtfulness.  Well,  give 
me  the  letter.  Perhaps  he  writes  saying  you  had  better  be 
sent  home  by  the  first  chance  that  offers  itself." 

Bob's  face  fell.  He  had  indeed  himself  had  some  mis- 
giving ever  since  the  troubles  began  that  h's  uncle  might  be 
writing  to  that  effect. 

"Well,  look  here,  Carrie,"  he  said,  "here  is  the  letter, 
but  I  think  you  had  better  not  open  it  till  I  have  started 
on  this  cruise.  Of  course,  if  he  says  1  must  go  back,  I 
must,  but  I  may  as  well  have  this  trip  first." 

Carrie  laughed.  "What  do  you  think,  Gerald,  shall  I 
leave  it  till  Bob  has  gone?  " 

"No,  open  it  at  once,  Carrie.  If  he  does  say,  send 
Bob  on  by  the  first  vessel,  there  is  not  likely  to  be  one 
before  he  goes  in  the  Antelope.  Besides,  that  is  all  the 
more  reason  why  he  should  go  for  a  cruise  before  he  starts 
back  for  that  grimy  old  place  in  Philpot  Lane.  We  may  as 
well  see  what  the  old  gentleman  says." 

"  I  won't  open  mine  till  you  have  read  yours,  Carrie," 
Bob  said.     "  I  mean  to  go  the  cruise  anyhow;  but  if  he  says 


1S2  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

1  must  go  after  that,  I  will  go.  If  he  had  been  the  old  bear 
I  used  to  think  him,  I  would  not  mind  it  a  snap,  but  he  has 
been  so  kind  that  I  shall  certainly  do  what  he  wants." 

Bob  sat  with  his  hands  deep  in  his  pockets  watching  his 
sister's  face  with  the  deepest  anxiety  as  she  glanced  through 
the  letter,  Gerald  standing  by  and  looking  over  her  shoulder. 

"The  old  gentleman  is  a  brick!"  Gerald,  who  was  the 
first  to  arrive  at  the  end,  exclaimed.  "I  wish  I  had  had 
such  a  sensible  old  relative  myself;  but  barring  an  aunt  who 
kept  three  parrots  and  a  cat,  and  who  put  more  store  on 
the  smallest  of  them  than  she  did  on  me,  never  a  relative 
did  I  have  in  the  world." 

"Oh,  tell  me  that  afterwards!  "  Bob  broke  in.  "Do  tell 
me  what  uncle  says,  Carrie." 

His  sister  turned  to  the  beginning  again  and  read  aloud: 
"My  dear  niece — " 

"Where  does  he  write  from?  "  Bob  interrupted.  "Is  it 
from  Philpot  Lane  or  from  somewhere  else?" 

"He  writes  from  Matlock,  Derbyshire." 

"That  is  all  right,"  Bob  said.  "I  thought  by  what 
Gerald  said  he  could  not  have  written  from  Philpot  Lane." 

"My  dear  niece,"  Carrie  began  again,  "I  duly  received 
your  letter  saying  that  Bob  had  arrived  out  safely,  and  also 
his  more  lengthy  epistle  giving  an  account  of  the  incidents 
of  the  voyage.  I  should  be  glad  if  you  would  impress  upon 
him  the  necessity  of  being  more  particular  in  his  punctua- 
tion, as  also  in  the  crossing  of  his  t's  and  the  dotting  of  his 
i's.  I  have  also  received  your  letter  bearing  date  June  ist, 
and  note  with  great  satisfaction  your  statement  that  he  has 
been  most  assiduous  in  his  studies,  and  that  he  is  already  able 
to  converse  with  some  fluency  in  Spanish.  Since  that  time 
the  state  of  affairs  between  the  two  countries  has  much 
occupied  my  attention,  both  from  its  commercial  aspect, 
which  is  serious,  and  in  connection  with  Bob. 

"As  the  issue  of  a  declaration  of  war  is  hourly  expected 
as  I  write,  the  period  of  uncertainty  may  be  considered  as 


THE  "antelope."  183 

over,  and  the  two  countries  may  be  looked  upon  as  at  war. 
I  have  reason  to  congratulate  myself  upon  having  followed 
the  advice  of  my  correspondent,  and  of  having  laid  in  a  very 
large  supply  of  Spanish  wine,  from  which  I  shall,  under  the 
circumstances,  reap  considerable  profits.  I  have  naturally 
been  debating  with  myself  whether  to  send  for  Bob  to  return 
to  England,  or  to  proceed  to  Lisbon  and  thence  to  Oporto 
to  the  care  of  my  correspondent  there.  1  have  consulted  in 
this  matter  my  junior  partner,  Mr.  Medlin,  who  is  staying 
with  me  here  for  a  few  days,  and  I  am  glad  to  say  that  his 
opinion  coincides  with  that  at  which  I  had  finally  arrived, 
namely,  to  allow  him  to  remain  w'th  you. 

"His  conduct  when  with  me,  and  the  perseverance  with 
which,  as  you  report,  he  is  pursuing  his  studies,  has  shown 
me  that  he  will  not  be  found  wanting  in  business  qualities 
when  he  enters  the  firm.  I  am  therefore  all  the  more  willing 
that  he  should  use  the  intervening  time  in  qualifying  him- 
self generally  for  a  good  position  in  the  city  of  London; 
especially  for  that  of  the  head  of  a  firm  in  the  wine  trade, 
in  which  an  acquaintance  with  the  world  and  the  manners  of 
a  gentleman,  if  not  of  a  man  of  fashion — a  matter  in  which 
my  firm  has  been  very  deficient  heretofore — are  specially 
valuable.  It  is  probable  from  what  I  hear  that  Gibraltar  will 
be  besieged,  and  the  event  is  likely  to  be  a  memorable  one. 
It  will  be  of  advantage  to  him,  and  give  him  a  certain  stand- 
ing to  have  been  present  on  such  an  occasion.  And  if  he 
evinces  any  desire  to  place  any  services  he  is  able  to  render, 
either  as  a  volunteer  or  otherwise,  at  the  disposal  of  the 
military  authorities — and  I  learn  from  Mr.  Medlin  that  it  is 
by  no  means  unusual  for  the  civil  inhabitants  of  a  besieged 
town  to  be  called  upon  to  aid  in  its  defence — I  should  re- 
commend that  you  should  place  no  obstacle  in  his  way. 

"As  a  lad  of  spirit  he  would  naturally  be  glad  of  any 
opportunity  to  distinguish  himself.  I  gathered  from  him 
that  one  of  his  school-fellows  was  serving  as  a  midshipman 
in  a  ship-of-war  that  would  not  improbably  be  stationed  at 


184  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

Gibraltar,  and  Bob  would  naturally  dislike  remaining  in- 
active when  his  school- fellow,  and  many  other  lads  of  the 
same  age,  were  playing  men's  parts  in  an  historical  event 
of  such  importance.  Therefore  you  will  fully  understand 
that  you  have  my  sanction  beforehand  to  agree  with  any 
desire  he  should  express  in  this  direction  if  it  seems  rea- 
sonable and  proper  to  you  and  Captain  O'Halloran.  As 
it  is  probable  that  the  prices  of  food  and  other  articles  will 
be  extremely  high  during  the  siege,  I  have  written  by  this 
mail  to  Messrs.  James  &  William  Johnston,  merchants  of 
Gibraltar,  with  whom  I  have  had  several  transactions, 
authorizing  them  to  honour  drafts  duly  drawn  by  Captain 
O'Halloran  upon  me  to  the  extent  of  ,£500,  such  sum  being 
of  course  additional  to  the  allowance  agreed  upon  between 
us  for  the  maintenance  and  education  of  your  brother. — 
I  remain,  my  dear  niece,  your  affectionate  uncle,  John 
Bale." 

"Now  I  call  that  being  a  jewel  of  an  uncle,"  Captain 
O'Halloran  said,  while  Bob  was  loud  in  his  exclamations  of 
pleasure.  "  Now  you  see  what  you  brought  on  yourself, 
Bob,  by  your  forgetfulness.  Here  we  have  had  all  the 
trouble  in  life  to  get  Carrie  to  agree  to  your  going,  while,  had 
she  read  this  letter  first,  she  would  not  have  had  a  leg  to 
stand  upon,  at  least  metaphorically  speaking,  practically  no 
one  would  doubt  it  for  a  minute." 

"Practically  you  are  a  goose,  Gerald;  metaphorically 
uncle  is  an  angel.  But  I  am  very,  very  glad.  That  has  re- 
lieved me  from  the  responsibility  altogether,  and  you  know 
at  heart  I  am  just  as  willing  that  Bob  should  enjoy  himself 
as  you  are.     Now,  what  does  your  uncle  say  to  you,  Bob?  " 

Bob  opened  and  read  his  uncle's  letter,  and  then  handed 
it  to  his  sister.  "It  is  just  the  same  sort  of  thing,  Carrie. 
I  can  see  Mr.  Medlin's  hand  in  it  everywhere.  He  says  that 
for  the  time  I  must  regard  my  connection  with  the  firm  as 
of  secondary  importance,  and  take  any  opportunity  that 
offers  to  show  the  spirit  of  an  English  gentleman  by  doing 


THE   "ANTELOPE."  185 

all  in  my  power  to  uphold  the  dignity  of  the  British  flag, 
and  taking  any  becoming  part  that  may  offer  in  the  defence 
of  the  town.  Of  course  he  says  he  has  heard  with  pleasure 
of  my  progress  in  Spanish,  and  that  he  and  his  junior 
partner  look  forward  with  satisfaction  to  the  time  when  I 
shall  enter  the  firm." 

"My  dear  Carrie,"  Captain  O'Halloran  said,  "I  will  get 
a  bottle  of  champagne  from  the  mess,  and  this  evening  at 
supper  we  will  drink  your  excellent  uncle's  health  with  all 
the  honours.  I  will  ask  Teddy  Burke  to  come  up  and  join 
us." 

"Then  I  think,  Gerald,"  his  wife  said  smiling,  "that  as 
Captain  Lockett  will  be  here  too,  one  bottle  of  champagne 
will  not  go  very  far." 

"I  put  it  tentatively,  my  dear;  we  will  say  two  bottles, 
and  we  will  make  the  first  inroad  on  our  poultry-yard.  We 
had  twenty  eggs  this  morning,  and  the  woman  downstairs 
reports  that  two  of  the  hens  want  to  sit,  though  how  they 
explained  the  matter  to  her  is  more  than  I  know;  anyhow, 
we  can  afford  a  couple  of  chickens." 

It  was  a  very  jovial  supper,  especially  as  it  was  known  that 
the  news  of  the  proclamation  of  war  had  been  brought  in 
by  the  ship  that  had  arrived  that  morning. 

"By  the  way,  Mrs.  O'Halloran,"  Captain  Lockett  said, 
"  I  have  a  consignment  for  you.  I  will  land  it  the  first 
thing  in  the  morning,  for  I  shall  sail  in  the  evening.  We 
are  to  get  our  letters  of  marque  authorizing  the  capture  of 
Spanish  vessels  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning." 

"What  is  the  consignment,  captain?" 

"  It  is  from  Mr.  Bale,  madam.  I  saw  him  in  town  a  week 
before  I  sailed,  and  told  him  I  was  likely  to  come  on  here 
direct,  and  he  sent  off  at  once  three  cases  of  champagne  and 
six  dozen  of  port  directed  to  you  and  an  eighteen-gallon 
cask  of  Irish  whisky  for  Captain  O'Halloran." 

"My  dear,"  Captain  O'Halloran  said  solemnly,  "  I  believe 
that  you  expressed  to-day  the  opinion  that  your  uncle  was 


186  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

metaphorically  an  angel.  I  beg  that  the  word  metaphori- 
cally be  omitted.  If  there  was  ever  an  angel  in  a  pig-tail 
and  a  stiff  cravat  that  angel  is  Mr.  John  Bale  of  Philpot 
Lane." 

"It  is  very  good  of  him,"  Carrie  agreed.  "We  could 
have  done  very  well  without  the  whisky,  but  the  port-wine 
and  the  champagne  may  be  very  useful  if  this  siege  is  going 
to  be  the  terrible  thing  you  all  seem  to  fancy." 

"A  drop  of  the  craytur  is  not  to  be  despised,  Mrs.  O'Hal- 
loran,"  Dr.  Burke  said;  "taken  with  plenty  of  water  it  is  a 
fine  digestive,  and  when  we  run  short  of  wine  and  beer  you 
will  not  be  despising  it  yourself." 

"  I  did  not  know,  Teddy  Burke,  that  you  had  any  expe- 
rience whatever  of  whisky  mixed  with  plenty  of  water." 

"You  are  too  hard  on  me  altogether,"  the  doctor  laughed. 
"There  is  no  soberer  man  in  the  regiment  than  your 
humble  servant." 

"  Well,  it  will  do  you  all  good  if  you  get  on  short  allow- 
ance of  wine  for  a  time.  I  can't  think  why  men  want  to 
sit  after  dinner  and  drink  bottle  after  bottle  of  port-wine. 
It  is  all  very  well  to  say  that  everyone  does  it,  but  that  is 
a  very  poor  excuse.  Why  should  they  do  it?  Women 
don't  do  it,  and  I  don't  see  why  men  should.  I  hope  the 
time  will  come  when  it  is  considered  just  as  disgraceful  for 
a  man  to  drink  as  it  is  for  a  woman.  And  now,  Captain 
Lockett,  about  Bob.     What  time  must  he  be  on  board?  " 

"He  must  be  on  board  before  gun-fire,  Mrs.  O'Halloran, 
unless  you  get  a  special  order  from  the  town-major.  I  was 
obliged  to  get  one  myself  for  this  evening.  The  orders  are 
strict  now;  all  the  gates  are  closed  at  gun-fire." 

"Yes,  and  mighty  strict  they  are,"  Captain  O'Halloran 
said.  "There  was  Major  Corcoran  of  the  7 2d  and  the 
doctor  of  the  regiment  were  out  fishing  yesterday,  and  the 
wind  fell,  and  the  gun  went  just  as  they  were  landing,  and 
divil  a  bit  could  they  get  in.  The  major  is  a  peppery  little 
man,  and  I  would  have  given  anything  to  have  seen  him. 


THE  "antelope."  187 

One  of  the  Hanoverian  regiments  furnished  the  guard  at 
the  water-batteries,  and  the  sentry  told  him  if  he  came  a 
foot  nearer  in  the  boat  they  would  fire,  and  in  the  end  he 
and  the  doctor  had  to  cover  themselves  up  with  a  sail  and 
lie  there  all  night.  I  hear  the  major  went  to  lodge  a  com- 
plaint when  he  landed,  but  of  course  the  men  were  only 
doing  their  duty;  and  I  hear  Eliott  gave  him  a  wigging  for 
endeavouring  to  make  him  disobey  orders." 

"  I  will  be  on  board  before  gun-fire,  Captain  Lockett. 
There  is  no  fear  of  my  missing  it." 

"  How  long  do  you  expect  to  be  away,  Captain  Lockett?  " 
Mrs.  O'Halloran  asked. 

"  That  depends  on  how  we  get  on.  If  we  are  lucky  and 
pick  up  a  number  of  prizes  we  may  bring  them  in  in  a  week, 
if  not  we  may  be  three  weeks,  especially  if  this  calm 
weather  lasts." 

"  I  am  sure  I  hope  you  won't  be  too  lucky  at  first  captain," 
Bob  put  in.     "  I  don't  want  the  cruise  to  finish  in  a  week." 

"Oh,  I  sha'n't  consider  the  cruise  is  finished  merely  be- 
cause we  come  in,  Bob!  "  the  captain  said.  "We  shall  be 
going  out  again,  and  only  put  in  here  to  bring  in  our  prizes. 
The  cruise  will  last  as  long  as  Captain  O'Halloran  and  your 
sister  will  allow  you  to  remain  on  board.  I  expect  that 
I  shall  be  able  to  make  you  very  useful.  I  shall  put  you 
down  in  the  ship's  books  as  third-mate.  You  won't  be  able 
to  draw  prize-money  as  an  officer,  because  the  number  of 
officers  entitled  to  prize-money  was  entered  when  the  crew 
signed  articles;  but  if  I  put  you  down  as  supercargo  you 
will  share  with  the  men  in  any  prizes  we  take  while  you  are 
away  with  us." 

"That  will  be  jolly,  captain;  not  because  of  the  money, 
you  know,  but  because  it  will  give  one  more  interest  in  the 
cruise.     Besides,  I  shall  like  something  to  do." 

"Oh,  I  will  give  you  something  to  do.  I  shall  put  you 
in  Joe's  watch,  and  then  you  will  learn  something.  It  is 
always  as  well  to  pick  up  knowledge  when  you  get  a  chance; 


188  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

and  if  we  do  take  any  prizes  it  will  be  your  duty  as  super- 
cargo to  take  an  inventory  of  what  they  have  on  board." 

The  next  morning  Bob  packed  his  trunks  the  first  thing, 
then  he  went  round  to  the  professor's  and  told  him  that  he 
was  going  away  for  a  fortnight  or  so  for  a  cruise,  then  he 
went  down  to  the  port  and  met  Joe  Lockett  when  he 
landed  and  brought  him  up  to  breakfast,  as  had  been 
arranged  with  the  captain  the  night  before.  After  that  he 
went  with  him  up  the  Rock  to  look  at  the  Spaniards,  whose 
tents  were  a  good  deal  more  numerous  than  they  had  been, 
and  who  were  still  at  work  arming  the  forts. 

"If  I  were  the  general,"  Joe  said,  "I  would  go  out  at 
night  with  two  or  three  regiments,  and  spike  all  those  guns 
and  blow  up  the  forts.  The  Dons  wouldn't  be  expecting  it, 
and  it  would  be  a  good  beginning,  and  would  put  the  men 
in  high  spirits.  Do  you  see,  the  Spanish  fleet  has  drifted 
away  almost  out  of  sight  to  the  east.  I  thought  what  it 
would  be  at  sunset  yesterday  when  I  saw  that  they  did  not 
enter  the  bay,  for  the  current  would  be  sure  to  drive  them 
away  if  the  wind  didn't  spring  up.  Well,  I  hope  we  shall 
get  a  little  this  evening.  And  now  I  must  be  going  down, 
for  there  is  a  good  deal  to  do  before  we  sail." 


CHAPTER   X. 


A    CRUISE    IN   A    PRIVATEER. 


BOB  was  on  board  the  Antelope  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
before  gun-fire.  No  movement  was  made  until  after 
sunset,  for  some  of  the  gun-boats  over  at  Algeciras  might 
have  put  out  had  they  seen  any  preparations  for  making 
sail;  but  as  soon  as  it  became  dark  the  anchor  was  hove, 
the  sails  dropped  and  sheeted  home,  and  the  brig  began  to 
move  slowly  through  the  water.  As  she  breasted  Europa 
Point  her  course  was  altered  to  west  by  north,  and  the  Rock 
faded  from  sight  in  the  darkness.  The  first-mate  was  on 
watch,  and  Bob  walked  up  and  down  the  deck  with  him. 

"There  is  no  occasion  for  you  to  keep  up,"  Joe  Lockett 
said,;  "you  may  just  as  well  turn  in." 

"  Oh  no,  I  mean  to  keep  the  watch  with  you  !  "  Bob  said. 
"The  captain  said  that  I  was  to  be  in  your  watch,  and  I 
want  you  to  treat  me  just  the  same  way  as  if  I  were  a  mid- 
shipman under  you." 

"Well,  if  you  were  a  midshipman  there  wouldn't  be  any- 
thing for  you  to  do  now;  still  if  you  like  to  keep  up  of 
course  you  can  do  so,  I  shall  be  glad  of  your  company,  and 
you  will  help  keep  a  sharp  look-out  for  ships." 

"There  is  no  chance  of  our  coming  across  any  Spanish 
traders  to-night,  I  suppose,  Joe?" 

"  Not  in  the  least;  they  would  keep  a  deal  farther  out  than 
we  shall  if  they  were  bound  either  for  Algeciras  or  through 
the  Straits.  We  are  not  likely  to  meet  anything  till  we  get 
near  Malaga.     After  that  of  course  we  shall  be  in  the  line 


190  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

of  coasters.  There  are  Almeria,  and  Cartagena,  and  Ali- 
cante, and  a  score  of  small  ports  between  Alicante  and  Val- 
encia." 

"We  don't  seem  to  be  going  through  the  water  very  fast, 
Joe." 

"  No,  not  more  than  two  or  two  and  a  half  knots  an  hour. 
However,  we  are  in  no  hurry.  With  a  light  wind  like  this 
we  don't  want  to  get  too  close  to  the  shore,  or  we  might  have 
some  of  their  gun-boats  coming  out  after  us.  I  expect  that 
in  the  morning,  if  the  wind  holds  light,  the  captain  will  take 
in  our  upper  sails,  and  just  drift  along.  Then  after  it  gets 
dark  he  will  clap  on  everything,  and  run  in  so  as  to  strike 
the  coast  a  few  miles  above  Malaga.  Then  we  will  take  in 
sail,  and  anchor  as  close  in  as  we  dare.  Anything  coming 
along  then  will  take  us  for  a  craft  that  has  come  out  from 
Malaga,"  • 

At  midnight  the  second-mate,  whose  name  was  Crofts, 
came  up  to  relieve  watch,  and  Bob,  who  was  beginning  to 
feel  very  sleepy,  was  by  no  means  sorry  to  turn  in.  It 
hardly  seemed  to  him  that  he  had  closed  an  eye  when  he 
was  aroused  by  a  knocking  at  the  cabin  door. 

"It's  two  bells,  sir,  and  Mr.  Lockett  says  you  are  to  turn 
out. 

Bob  hurried  on  his  things  and  went  up,  knowing  that  he 
was  an  hour  late. 

"  I  thought  you  wanted  to  keep  watch,  Bob.  You  ought 
to  have  been  on  deck  at  eight  bells." 

"So  I  should  have  been  if  I  had  been  woke,"  Bob  said 
indignantly.  "I  am  not  accustomed  to  wake  up  just  after 
I  go  to  sleep;  it  doesn't  seem  to  me  that  I  have  been  in  bed 
five  minutes.  If  you  wake  me  to-morrow  morning,  you  will 
see  I  will  be  up  sharp  enough.     There  is  hardly  any  wind." 

"No,  we  have  been  only  crawling  along  all  night.  There 
is  Gib,  you  see,  behind  us." 

"Why,  it  doesn't  look  ten  miles  off,"  Bob  said  in  surprise. 

"It  is  twice  that;   it  is  two-  or  three-and-twenty,  I  should 


A    CRUISE    IN    A    PRIVATEER.  191 

say.  Now,  the  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  go  down  to  the 
waist,  slip  off  your  togs,  and  have  a  few  buckets  of  water 
poured  over  you.  That  will  wake  you  up,  and  you  will 
feel  ever  so  much  more  comfortable  afterwards.  I  have 
just  told  the  steward  to  make  us  a  couple  of  cups  of  coffee, 
they  will  be  ready  by  the  time  you  have  had  your  wash." 

Bob  followed  the  advice,  and  after  a  bath,  a  cup  of  coffee, 
and  a  biscuit,  he  no  longer  felt  the  effects  from  the  shortness 
of  the  night.  The  sun  had  already  risen,  and  there  was  not 
a  cloud  upon  the  sky.  "What  are  those  over  there?"  he 
asked,  pointing  to  the  south-east;  "they  look  like  sails." 

"They  are  sails.  They  are  the  upper  sails  of  the  Spanish 
fleet.  I  expect  they  are  trying  to  work  back  into  the  bay 
again,  but  they  won't  do  it  unless  they  get  more  wind. 
You  see  I  have  taken  the  topgallant  sails  off  the  brig  so  as 
not  to  be  seen.  There  is  the  Spanish  coast,  you  see,  twelve 
or  fourteen  miles  away  to  port.  If  you  like  you  can  take 
the  glass  and  go  up  into  the  main-top,  and  see  if  you  can 
make  anything  out  on  shore." 

Bob  came  down  in  half  an  hour.  "There  are  some  fish- 
ing-boats," he  said,  "at  least  they  look  like  fishing-boats, 
close  inshore  just  abreast  of  us." 

"Yes,  there  are  two  or  three  little  rivers  on  this  side 
of  Malaga.  There  is  not  water  in  them  for  craft  of  any 
size,  but  the  fishing-boats  use  them.  There  is  a  heavy 
swell  sets  in  here  when  the  wind  is  from  the  east  with  a  bit 
south  in  it,  and  they  run  up  there  for  shelter." 

Captain  Lockett  now  came  on  deck.  "Good-morning, 
Bob,  I  did  not  see  you  here  when  watch  was  changed." 

"No,  sir,  I  wasn't  woke;  but  I  mean  to  be  up  another 
morning." 

"That  is  right,  Bob.  Joe  and  I  agreed  to  give  you  an 
extra  hour  this  morning.  Four  hours  are  very  short  mea- 
sure to  one  who  is  not  accustomed  to  it;  but  you  will  soon 
find  that  you  can  turn  in  and  get  a  sleep  when  your  watch 
is  over  whatever  the  time  of  day." 


192  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

"It  seems  to  me  that  this  watch  has  the  worst  of  it,  Cap- 
tain Lockett.  We  had  from  eight  to  twelve,  and  now  from 
four  to  eight,  and  the  other  had  only  four  hours  on  deck." 

"Yours  is  considered  the  best  watch,  Bob;  the  middle 
watch,  as  the  one  that  comes  on  at  twelve  o'clock  is  called, 
is  always  the  most  disliked.  You  see  at  eight  bells  you  go 
off  and  have  your  breakfast  comfortably,  and  can  then  turn 
in  till  twelve  o'clock,  and  you  can  get  another  caulk  from 
five  or  six  till  eight  in  the  evening.  Of  course  if  there  is 
anything  to  do,  bad  weather  or  anything  of  that  sort,  both 
watches  are  on  deck  all  day." 

"Well,  I  am  almost  sure  I  should  like  the  other  watch 
best,"  Bob  said. 

"You  are  wrong,  lad,  especially  in  summer.  You  see  it 
is  not  fairly  dark  till  nine,  and  you  wouldn't  turn  in  till 
ten  anyhow,  so  that  really  you  are  only  kept  two  hours 
out  of  your  bunk  at  that  watch.  It  is  getting  light  when 
you  come  up  at  four,  and  at  five  we  begin  to  wash  decks, 
and  there  is  plenty  to  occupy  you,  so  that  it  doesn't  seem 
long  till  eight  bells.  The  others  have  to  turn  out  at 
twelve  o'clock,  just  when  they  are  most  sleepy,  and  to  be 
on  watch  for  the  four  dark  hours,  and  then  go  down  just  as 
it  is  getting  light.  On  a  cold  night  in  winter  in  the  chan- 
nel I  think  perhaps  the  advantage  is  the  other  way.  But, 
in  fact,  men  get  so  accustomed  to  the  four  hours  in  and  the 
four  hours  out,  that  it  makes  very  little  difference  to  them 
how  it  goes." 

All  day  the  brig  kept  on  the  same  course,  moving  very 
slowly  through  the  water,  and  passing  the  coast  as  much  by 
aid  of  the  current  as  by  that  of  her  sails. 

"We  are  pretty  well  off  Malaga,"  Captain  Lockett  said 
in  the  afternoon.  "If  there  had  been  any  wind  we  should 
have  had  a  chance  of  picking  up  something  making  from 
there  to  the  Straits ;  but  there  is  no  chance  of  that  to-day. 
People  like  making  quick  voyages  when  there  is  a  risk  of 
falling  in  with  an  enemy,  and  they  won't  be  putting  out 


A    CRUISE    IN   A    PRIVATEER.  193 

from  port  until  there  is  some  change  in  the  weather.  How- 
ever, it  looks  to  me  as  if  there  is  a  chance  of  a  little  breeze 
from  the  south  when  the  sun  goes  down.  I  have  seen  a 
flaw  or  two  on  the  water  that  way." 

"Yes,  it  seems  to  me  darker  over  there,"  the  mate  said. 
"  I  will  go  up  and  have  a  look  round.  Yes,  sir,  there  is  cer- 
tainly abreeze  stirring  down  to  the  south,"  he  shouted  from 
aloft. 

"That  will  just  suit  us,"  the  captain  said.  "We  must 
be  twenty  miles  off  the  coast  at  least,  and  even  if  they  had 
noticed  us  from  above  the  town,  we  are  too  far  off  for  them 
to  make  us  out  at  all,  so  it  will  be  safe  for  us  to  run  in  to 
the  land.     We  shall  rely  upon  you,  Bob,  if  we  are  hailed." 

"I  will  do  my  best  to  throw  dust  in  their  eyes,  captain. 
You  must  tell  me  beforehand  all  particulars,  so  that  I  can 
have  the  story  pat." 

"We  will  wait  till  we  see  what  sort  of  craft  is  likely  to 
hail  us.  A  tale  may  be  good  enough  for  the  skipper  of  a 
coaster,  that  might  not  pass  muster  with  the  captain  of  a 
gun-boat." 

"What  are  the  coasters  likely  to  be  laden  with?  " 

"There  is  never  any  saying.  Mostly  fruit  and  wine, 
grain  and  olives.  Then  some  of  them  would  be  taking  goods 
from  the  large  ports  to  the  small  towns  and  villages  along 
the  coast.  Some  of  the  coasters  are  well  worth  picking  up; 
but  of  course  the  craft  we  shall  be  chiefly  on  the  look-out 
for  will  be  those  from  abroad.  Some  of  these  have  very 
valuable  cargoes.  They  bring  copper  and  lead,  and  some- 
times silver  from  the  mines  of  Mexico  and  South  America. 
Some  of  them  carry  a  good  lot  of  silver,  but  it  is  too  much 
to  hope  that  we  should  run  across  such  a  prize  as  that.  They 
bring  over  hides  too;  they  are  worth  money.  Then  of 
course  there  are  ships  that  have  been  trading  up  the  Medi- 
terranean with  France  and  Italy  or  the  Levant.  So  you  see 
there  is  a  considerable  variety  in  the  chances  of  what  we  may 
light  upon.     Coasters  are  of  course  the  staple,  so  to  speak. 


194  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

If  we  have  anything  like  luck  we  shall  not  do  badly  with 
them.  The  others  we  must  look  upon  as  the  prizes  in  the 
lottery." 

Before  the  sun  set  the  breeze  came  up  to  them,  and  the 
brig  was  at  once  headed  for  the  land.  At  ten  o'clock  the 
lights  of  Malaga  were  made  out  on  the  port-beam,  and  the 
brig  bore  away  a  little  to  the  east.  Two  hours  later  the  land 
was  looming  not  far  ahead.  Sail  was  got  off  her,  and  a 
man  placed  in  the  chains  and  soundings  taken.  This  was 
continued  until  the  water  shoaled  to  eight  fathoms,  when 
the  brig  was  brought  up  head  to  wind,  and  the  anchor  let 
go.  Then  an  anchor  watch  of  four  men  was  set,  and  the 
rest  of  the  crew  allowed  to  turn  in.  At  daybreak  the  officers 
were  out  again,  and  it  was  found  that  the  brig  was  lying 
within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  land  in  a  slight  indentation 
of  the  coast.  The  wind  had  died  away,  and  the  sails  were 
loosed  and  suffered  to  fall  against  the  masts. 

"It  could  not  be  better,"  Captain  Lockett  said.  "We 
look  now  as  if  we  had  been  trying  to  make  up  or  down  the 
coast,  and  had  been  forced  to  come  to  anchor  here.  Fortu- 
nately there  don't  seem  to  be  any  villages  near,  so  we  are 
not  likely  to  have  anyone  coming  out  to  us." 

"How  far  do  you  think  we  are  from  Malaga,  captain?  " 
"About  ten  miles  I  should  say,  Bob.  Why  do  you  ask?  " 
"I  was  only  thinking  whether  it  would  be  possible  for 
me  to  make  my  way  there  and  find  out  what  vessels  there 
are  in  harbour,  and  whether  any  of  them  are  likely  to  be 
coming  this  way.  But  if  it  is  ten  miles  I  am  afraid  it  is  too 
far.  I  should  have  to  pass  through  villages,  and  I  might  be 
questioned  where  I  came  from  and  where  I  was  going.  I 
don't  know  that  my  Spanish  would  pass  muster  if  I  were 
questioned  like  that.  I  should  be  all  right  if  I  were  once 
in  a  seaport.  No  one  would  be  likely  to  ask  me  any  ques- 
tions. Then  I  could  stroll  about  and  listen  to  what  was 
said,  and  certainly  I  could  talk  quite  well  enough  to  go  in 
and  get  a  meal  and  all  that  sort  of  thing." 


A    CRUISE    IN   A    PRIVATEER.  195 

"  I  couldn't  let  you  do  that,  Bob,"  the  captain  said.  "  It 
is  a  very  plucky  idea,  but  it  wouldn't  be  right  to  let  you 
carry  it  out.  You  would  get  hung  as  a  spy  if  you  were 
detected." 

"I  don't  think  there  is  the  least  fear  in  the  world  of  my 
being  detected  in  a  seaport,"  Bob  said,  "and  I  should 
think  it  great  fun;  but  I  shouldn't  like  to  try  to  cross  the 
country.     Perhaps  we  may  have  a  better  chance  later  on." 

The  captain  shook  his  head. 

"You  might  go  on  board  some  ship  if  one  brings  up  at 
anchor  anywhere  near  us,  Bob.  If  you  got  detected  there 
we  would  take  her  and  rescue  you.  But  that  is  a  different 
thing  to  letting  you  go  ashore." 

Presently  the  sails  of  two  fishing-boats  were  seen  coming 
out  from  beyond  a  low  point  three  miles  to  the  east. 

"  I  suppose  there  is  a  fishing  village  there,"  the  mate  said. 
"I  am  glad  they  are  no  nearer."  He  examined  the  boats 
with  a  glass.  "  They  are  working  out  with  sweeps.  I  expect 
they  hope  to  get  a  little  wind  when  they  are  in  the  offing." 

Just  as  they  were  at  breakfast  the  second-mate,  who  was 
on  deck,  called  down  the  sky-light: 

"There  are  three  craft  to  the  west,  sir.  They  have  just 
come  out  from  behind  the  point  there.  They  are  bringing 
a  little  breeze  with  them." 

"What  are  they  like,  Mr.  Crofts?  " 

"One  is  a  polacre,  another  a  xebec,  and  a  third  looks 
like  a  full-rigged  craft;  but  as  she  is  end-on  I  can't  say  for 
certain." 

"All  right,  Mr.  Crofts,  I  will  be  up  in  five  minutes.  We 
can  do  nothing  until  we  get  the  wind  anyhow." 

Breakfast  was  speedily  finished,  and  they  went  on  deck. 
The  Spanish  flag  was  already  flying  from  the  peak.  The 
three  craft  were  about  two  miles  away. 

"How  are  they  sailing,  Mr.  Crofts?  " 

"I  fancy  the  xebec  is  the  fastest,  sir.  She  was  astern 
just  now,  and  she  is  abreast  of  the  polacre  now,  as  near  as  I 


196  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

can  make  out.  The  ship  or  brig,  whichever  it  is,  seems  to 
me  to  be  dropping  astern." 

"  Heave  away  at  the  anchor,  Joe.  Get  in  all  the  slack, 
so  as  to  be  ready  to  hoist  as  soon  as  the  breeze  reaches  us. 
I  don't  want  them  to  come  up  to  us.  The  line  they  are  tak- 
ing now  will  carry  them  nearly  half  a  mile  outside  us,  which 
is  fortunate.  Run  in  six  of  the  guns,  and  throw  a  tar- 
paulin over  the  eighteen-pounder.  Three  guns  on  each  side 
are  about  enough  for  us  to  show." 

The  breeze  caught  them  when  the  three  Spanish  craft 
were  nearly  abeam. 

''They  have  more  wind  out  there  than  we  shall  have 
here,"  the  captain  said;  "which  is  an  advantage,  for  I  don't 
want  to  run  away  from  them.  Now  get  up  the  anchor, 
Joe.     Don't  take  too  many  hands." 

The  watch  below  had  already  been  ordered  to  sit  down 
on  the  deck,  and  half  the  other  watch  were  now  told  to  do 
the  same. 

"Twelve  or  fourteen  hands  are  quite  enough  to  show," 
the  captain  said. 

"The  anchor's  up,  sir,"  Joe  shouted. 

"  Let  it  hang  there ;  we  will  get  it  aboard  presently.  Now 
haul  that  fore-staysail  across,  ease  off  the  spanker-sheet. 
Now,  as  she  comes  round,  haul  on  the  braces  and  sheets  one 
by  one.     Do  it  in  as  lubberly  a  way  as  you  can." 

The  brig,  which  had  been  riding  with  her  head  to  the 
west,  came  slowly  round,  the  yards  being  squared  in  a 
slow  fashion,  in  strong  contrast  to  the  active  way  in  which 
they  were  generally  handled.  The  captain  watched  the  other 
craft  carefully. 

"The  xebec  and  polacre  are  gaining  on  us,  but  we  are 
going  as  fast  through  the  water  as  the  three-master.  When 
we  get  the  wind  a  little  more  we  shall  have  the  heels  of  them 
all.  Get  a  sail  overboard,  Joe,  and  tow  it  under  her  port- 
quarter.  Don't  give  her  too  much  rope,  or  they  might  catch 
sight  of  it  on  board  the  ship.     That  will  bring  us  down  to 


A    CRUISE   IN   A   PRIVATEER.  197 

her  rate  of  sailing.  I  want  to  keep  a  bit  astern  oi  them. 
We  dare  not  attack  them  in  the  daylight,  they  mount  too 
many  guns  for  us  altogether.  That  big  fellow  has  got 
twelve  on  a  side,  the  polacre  has  eight,  and  the  xebec  six,  so 
between  them  they  have  fifty-two  guns.  We  might  try  it 
if  they  were  well  out  at  sea,  but  it  would  never  do  here. 
There  may  be  galleys  or  gun  boats  within  hearing,  so  we 
must  bide  our  time.  I  think  we  are  in  luck  this  time,  Joe. 
That  ship  must  have  come  foreign,  at  least  I  should  say  so 
by  her  appearance;  though  she  may  be  from  Cadiz.  As  to 
the  other  two,  they  may  be  anything.  The  xebec,  no  doubt, 
is  a  coast  trader;  the  polacre  may  be  one  thing  or  another, 
but  1  should  hardly  think  she  has  come  across  the  Atlantic. 
Likely  enough  she  is  from  Bilbao  or  Santander.  The  ship 
is  the  fellow  to  get  hold  of,  if  we  get  a  chance.  I  shall  be 
quite  content  to  leave  the  others  alone." 

"I  should  think  so,"  Joe  agreed.  "The  ship  ought  to 
be  a  valuable  prize  wherever  she  comes  from.  If  she  is 
sound  and  pretty  new  she  would  fetch  a  good  sum,  if  we 
can  get  her  into  an  English  port." 

The  wind  continued  to  hold  light,  and  the  four  vessels 
made  but  slow  progress  through  the  water.  The  two  leaders, 
however,  gradually  improved  their  position.  They  were 
nearly  matched  in  point  of  sailing,  and  their  captains 
were  evidently  making  a  race  of  it,  hoisting  every  stitch  of 
canvas  they  were  able  to  show.  By  the  afternoon  they  were 
fully  two  miles  ahead  of  the  ship,  which  was  half  a  mile  on 
the  starboard-bow  of  the  brig.  The  wind  died  away  to 
nothing  as  the  sun  set.  The  three  Spanish  vessels  had  all 
been  edging  in  towards  shore,  and  the  polacre  anchored  just 
before  sunset. 

The  ship  held  on  for  another  hour,  but  was  a  mile  astern 
of  the  other  two  when  she  also  dropped  her  anchor.  The 
sail  that  had  been  towing  overboard  from  the  brig  had  been 
got  on  board  again  when  the  wind  began  to  drop,  and  she 
had  come  up  to  within  little  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile 


198  HELD    FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

of  the  ship.  The  anchor  was  let  go  as  soon  as  it  was  seen 
that  the  crew  of  the  ship  were  preparing  to  anchor,  so  that 
the  brig  should  be  first  to  do  so.  Whether  there  had  been 
any  suspicions  on  board  the  Spaniards  as  to  the  character 
of  the  brig,  they  could  not  tell;  but  watching  her  closely, 
Captain  Lockett  saw  that  the  order  to  anchor  was  counter- 
manded as  soon  as  it  was  seen  that  the  brig  had  done  so.  A 
few  minutes  after  the  men  again  went  forward,  and  the 
anchor  was  dropped,  for  the  vessel  was  making  no  way 
whatever  through  the  water. 

"Well,  Joe,  there  we  are  close  to  her  now.  The  ques- 
tion is,  what  are  we  to  do  next?  If  there  was  any  wind  it 
would  be  simple  enough.  We  would  drop  alongside  in  the 
middle  watch,  and  carry  her  by  boarding  before  the  Dons 
had  time  to  get  out  of  their  hammocks;  but  as  it  is  that 
is  out  of  the  question,  and  of  course  we  can't  think  of  tow- 
ing her  up;  on  such  a  still  night  as  this  will  be,  they  would 
hear  the  slightest  noise." 

"We  might  attack  her  in  the  boats,"  the  mate  said. 

"Yes,  that  would  be  possible;  but  their  watch  would  hear 
the  oars  the  instant  we  began  to  row.  You  see  by  the 
number  of  guns  she  carries  she  must  be  strongly  manned." 

"I  expect  most  of  them  are  small,"  Joe  said,  "and  meant 
for  show  rather  than  use.  It  is  likely  enough  she  may 
have  taken  half  of  them  on  board  at  Cadiz  or  Malaga,  so  as 
to  give  her  a  formidable  appearance  in  case  she  should  fall 
in  with  any  craft  of  our  description.  If  she  has  come  across 
the  Atlantic  she  would  never  have  carried  anything  like 
that  number  of  guns,  for  Spain  was  not  at  war  with  any- 
one." 

"No;  but  craft  flying  the  black  flag  are  still  to  be  found  in 
those  waters,  Joe,  and  she  might  carry  her  guns  for  defence 
against  them.  But  it  is  not  a  question  of  guns  at  present, 
it  is  a  question  of  the  crew.  It  isn't  likely  that  she  carries 
many  more  than  we  do,  and  if  we  could  but  get  alongside 
her  there  would  be  no  fear  about  it  at  all;  but  I  own  I  don't 


A    CRUISE    IN    A    PRIVATEER.  199 

like  the  risk  of  losing  half  my  men  in  an  attack  on  a  craft 
like  that,  unless  we  can  have  the  advantage  of  a  surprise." 

"What  do  you  say  to  my  swimming  off  to  her  as  soon  as 
it  gets  quite  dark,  captain  ?  "  Bob  said.  "  I  am  a  very  good 
swimmer.  We  used  to  bathe  regularly  at  Putney  where  I 
was  at  school,  and  I  have  swum  across  the  Thames  and  back 
lots  of  times.  There  is  sure  to  be  a  little  mist  on  the  water 
presently,  and  they  won't  be  keeping  a  very  sharp  look-out 
till  it  gets  later.  I  can  get  hold  of  a  cable  and  climb  up, 
and  get  in  over  the  bow  if  there  is  no  lookout  there,  and 
see  what  is  going  on.  There  is  no  danger  in  the  thing, 
for  if  I  am  discovered  I  have  only  got  to  dive  and  swim 
back  again.  There  is  no  current  to  speak  of  here,  and 
there  wouldn't  be  the  least  chance  of  their  hitting  me  in 
the  dark.  I  should  certainly  be  able  to  learn  something  by 
listening  to  their  talk." 

"It  would  be  a  very  risky  thing,  Bob,"  Captain  Lockett 
said,  shaking  his  head.  "I  shouldn't  like  to  let  you  do  it, 
though  of  course  it  would  be  a  great  thing  if  we  could  learn 
something  about  her.  I  own  I  don't  like  her  appearance, 
though  I  can't  say  why.  Somehow  or  other  I  don't  think 
she  is  all  right.  Either  all  those  guns  are  a  mere  pretence 
and  she  is  weak-handed,  or  she  must  carry  a  very  big  crew." 

"Well,  I-don't  see  there  can  be  any  possible  harm  in  my 
trying  to  get  on  board  her,  captain.  Of  course  if  I  am 
hailed  as  I  approach  her  I  shall  turn  and  come  back  again. 
The  night  will  be  dark,  but  I  shall  have  no  difficulty  in 
finding  her  from  the  talking  and  noise  on  board. 

"Well,  Joe,  what  do  you  think?"  the  captain  said 
^doubtfully. 

"I  think  you  might  let  Bob  try,"  Joe  said.  "I  should 
not  mind  trying  at  all,  but  as  I  can't  speak  Spanish  I  should 
be  able  to  learn  nothing.  They  are  not  likely  to  be  setting 
a  watch  and  keeping  a  sharp  look  out  for  some  time,  and  I 
should  think  that  he  might  possibly  get  on  board  unob- 
served.    If  they  do  make  him  out  he  has  only  to  keep  on 


200  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

diving,  and  in  the  dark  there  would  be  little  chance  of  their 
hitting  him.  Besides,  they  certainly  couldn't  make  out  that 
it  was  a  swimmer;  if  they  noticed  a  ripple  in  the  water, 
they  would  be  sure  to  think  it  was  a  fish  of  some  sort." 

Bob  continued  to  urge  that  he  should  be  allowed  to  try 
it,  and  at  last  Captain  Lockett  agreed  to  his  doing  so.  It 
was  already  almost  dark  enough  for  the  attempt  to  be  made, 
and  Bob  prepared  at  once  for  the  swim.  He  took  off  his 
coat,  waistcoat,  and  shirt,  and  put  on  a  dark  knitted  jersey, 
fastened  a  belt  tightly  round  his  waist  over  his  breeches, 
and  took  off  his  shoes. 

"If  I  am  seen,"  he  said,  "you  are  sure  to  hear  them 
hailing  or  shouting,  and  then  please  show  a  lantern  over 
the  stern;  "  for  slight  as  the  current  was  it  sufficed  to  make 
the  vessel  swing  head  to  west.  A  rope  was  lowered  over 
the  side,  and  by  this  he  slipped  down  quietly  into  the  water, 
which  was  perfectly  warm.  Then  he  struck  off  noise- 
lessly in  the  direction  of  the  ship.  He  kept  the  two  masts 
of  the  brig  in  one  as  long  as  he  could  make  them  out,  but 
owing  to  the  mist  on  the  water  he  soon  lost  sight  of  her; 
but  he  had  no  difficulty  in  keeping  a  straight  course,  as  he 
could  plainly  hear  the  sound  of  voices  ahead  of  him.  Taking 
the  greatest  pains  to  avoid  making  the  slightest  splash,  and 
often  pausing  to  listen,  Bob  swam  on  until  he  saw  a  dark 
mass  looming  up  in  front  of  him.  He  now  did  little  more 
than  float,  giving  a  gentle  stroke  occasionally  and  drifting 
towards  it  until  he  grasped  the  cable.  He  now  listened  in- 
tently. There  were  voices  on  the  fo'castle  above  him,  and 
he  determined,  before  trying  to  climb  up  there,  to  swim 
round  the  vessel,  keeping  close  to  her  side,  so  that  he  could 
not  be  seen  unless  someone  leaned  far  over  the  bulwark. 

Half-way  along  he  came  upon  a  projection,  and,  looking 
up,  saw  that  slabs  of  wood  three  inches  wide  were  fixed 
against  the  side  at  intervals  of  a  foot  apart,  so  as  to  form  an 
accommodation  ladder  when  it  was  not  considered  necessary 
to  lower  a  gangway.     Two  hand-ropes  hung  by  the  side  of 


, 

hr     ' 

1 

i£ 

• 

— 

BOB    sWIMS    OFF    TO     ]  1 1  !•     SPANISH     WARSHIP 


A   CRUISE   IN   A   PRIVATEER.  201 

it.  His  way  was  now  easy.  He  drew  himself  out  of  the 
water  by  the  ropes  and  ascended  the  ladder,  then  crawled 
along  outside  the  bulwark  until  he  came  to  a  port-hole,  from 
which  a  gun  projected;  then  he  crawled  in  there,  and  lay 
under  the  cannon.  Two  or  three  lanterns  were  suspended 
above  the  deck,  and  by  their  light  Bob  could  at  once  see 
that  he  was  on  board  a  ship-of-war.  Groups  of  sailors  were 
sitting  on  the  deck  among  the  guns,  and  he  saw  that  most 
of  these  were  run  in  and  that  they  were  of  heavy  calibre, 
several  of  them  being  32-pounders. 

As  the  captain  and  Joe  had  both  agreed  that  the  guns 
were  only  14-pounders,  Bob  had  no  difficulty  in  arriving 
at  the  fact  that  these  must  have  been  mere  dummies  thrust 
out  of  the  port-holes  to  deceive  any  stranger  as  to  her 
armament.  He  lay  listening  for  some  time  to  the  talk 
of  the  sailors,  and  gathered  that  the  ship  had  been  purposely 
disguised  before  putting  out  from  Malaga,  in  order  to  de- 
ceive any  English  privateers  she  might  come  across  as 
to  her  strength.  He  learned  also  that  considerable  doubts 
were  entertained  as  to  the  brig,  and  that  the  xebec  and  pol- 
acre  had  been  signalled  to  go  on  ahead  so  as  to  induce  the 
brig,  if  she  should  be  an  enemy,  to  make  an  attack. 

The  reason  why  she  had  not  been  overhauled  during  the 
day  was  that  the  captain  feared  she  might  escape  him 
in  a  light  wind,  for  the  watch  had  been  vigilant,  and  had 
made  out  that  she  was  towing  something  to  deaden  her  way. 
It  was  considered  likely  that,  taking  the  ship  for  a  mer- 
chantman, an  attack  would  be  made  in  boats  during  the 
night,  and  the  men  joked  as  to  the  surprise  their  assailants 
would  get.  Boarding-pikes  were  piled  in  readiness,  shot 
had  been  placed  in  the  racks  ready  to  throw  down  into  the 
boats  as  they  came  alongside,  and  the  ship's  boats  had  been 
swung  out  in  readiness  for  lowering,  as  it  was  intended  to 
carry  the  brig  by  boarding  after  the  repulse  and  destruction 
of  her  boats. 

"We  have  had  a  narrow  escape  of  catching  a  tartar," 


202  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

Bob  said  to  himself.  "  It  is  very  lucky  I -came  on  board  to 
reconnoitre;  the  Spaniards  are  not  such  duffers  as  we  thought 
them.  We  fancied  we  were  taking  them  in,  and  very  nearly 
fell  into  a  trap  ourselves." 

Very  quietly  he  crawled  back  under  the  port-hole,  made 
his  way  along  outside  the  bulwark  until  his  hand  touched 
the  rope,  and  then  slid  down  by  it  into  the  water.  As  he 
knew  there  was  more  chance  of  a  sharp  watch  being  kept  in 
the  eyes  of  the  ship  than  elsewhere,  he  swam  straight  out 
from  her  side  until  she  became  indistinct,  and  then  headed 
for  the  brig.  The  lights  on  board  the  Spaniard  served  as  a 
guide  to  him  for  some  time,  but  the  distance  seemed  longer 
to  him  than  it  had  before,  and  he  was  beginning  to  fancy 
he  must  have  missed  the  brig  when  he  saw  her  looming  up 
on  his  right.     In  three  or  four  minutes  he  was  alongside. 

"The  brig  there!  "  he  hailed.  "Drop  me  a  rope  over- 
board." 

There  was  a  stir  overhead  at  once. 

"Where  are  you,  Bob?"  Captain  Lockett  asked,  leaning 
over  the  side. 

"Just  below  you,  sir." 

A  rope  was  dropped.     Bob  grasped  it,  and  was  hauled  up. 

"Thank  God  you  are  back  again !  "  the  captain  said.  "  I 
have  been  blaming  myself  ever  since  you  started,  though,  as 
all  was  quiet,  we  felt  pretty  sure  they  hadn't  made  you  out. 
Well,  have  you  any  news?     Did  you  get  on  board?  " 

"You  will  get  no  prize-money  this  time,  captain.  The 
Spaniard  is  a  ship-of-war  mounting  twenty-four  guns,  none 
of  them  smaller  than  eighteens,  and  ten  of  them  thirty- 
twos." 

"  Impossible,  Bob !  We  could  not  have  been  so  mistaken. 
Joe  and  I  were  both  certain  that  they  were  fourteens." 

"Yes,  sir;  but  those  things  you  saw  were  dummies.  The 
guns  themselves  are  almost  all  drawn  in;  all  the  thirty- 
twos  are,  and  most  of  the  eighteens.  She  has  been  specially 
disguised  at  Malaga  in  hopes  of  tempting  a  craft  like  yours 


A   CRUISE   IN   A   PRIVATEER.  203 

to  attack  her,  and,  what  is  more,  she  has  a  shrewd  sus- 
picion of  what  you  are;  "  and  he  related  the  whole  of  the 
conversation  he  had  heard,  and  described  the  preparations 
for  repulsing  a  boat  attack  and  in  turn  carrying  the  brig  in 
the  ship's  boats. 

Captain  Lockett  was  thunderstruck.  "  The  Spanish  officer 
who  commands  her  must  be  a  smart  fellow,"  he  said,  "and 
we  have  had  a  narrow  escape  of  running  our  head  into  a 
noose.  Thanks  to  you,  Bob;  for  Joe  and  I  had  quite  made 
up  our  minds  to  attack  her  in  the  middle  watch.  Well,  the 
only  thing  for  us  to  do  is  to  get  away  from  here  as  soon  as 
we  can.  If  she  finds  we  don't  attack  her  to-night  she  is 
sure  to  send  a  boat  to  us  in  the  morning,  and  then  if  we 
have  an  engagement  we  could  hardly  hope  to  get  off  with- 
out losing  some  of  our  spars,  even  if  we  were  not  sunk, 
with  such  heavy  metal  as  she  carries.  We  should  have  the 
other  two  craft  down  on  us  too,  and  our  chances  of  getting 
away  would  be  worth  nothing.  Well,  I  suppose,  Joe,  our 
best  plan  will  be  to  tow  her  away?  " 

"  I  should  think  so,  sir.  When  they  hear  us  at  it  they 
may  send  their  boats  out  after  us,  but  we  can  beat  them  off; 
and  I  should  hardly  think  that  they  would  try  it,  for  they 
will  be  sure  that  if  we  are  a  privateer  we  have  been  playing 
the  same  game  as  they  have,  and  hiding  our  guns,  and  will 
guess  that  we  carry  a  strong  crew." 

"Send  the  crew  aft,  Joe;  I  will  tell  them  how  matters 
stand.  We  have  had  a  narrow  escape  of  catching  a  tartar, 
my  lads,"  he  said  when  the  men  went  aft.  "  You  all  know 
Mr.  Repton  swam  off  an  hour  ago  to  try  and  find  out  what 
the  ship  was  like.  Well,  he  has  been  on  board,  and  brings 
back  news  that  she  is  no  trader,  but  a  ship-of-war  disguised, 
and  that  she  carries  twenty-four  guns,  eighteen-pounders  and 
thirty-twos.  If  we  met  while  out  at  sea  we  might  make  a 
fight  of  it,  but  it  would  never  do  here,  especially  as  her  two 
consorts  would  be  down  upon  us.  She  suspects  what  we 
are,  although  she  is  not  certain,  and  everything  is  in  readi- 


204  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

ness  to  repel  a  boat  attack,  her  captain's  intention  being,  if 
we  tried,  to  sink  or  cripple  the  boats  and  then  to  attack  us 
with  her  guns.  So  you  may  thank  Mr.  Repton  that  you 
have  had  a  narrow  escape  of  seeing  the  inside  of  a  Spanish 
prison. 

"Now,  what  I  propose  to  do  is  to  tow  her  out.  Get  the 
four  boats  in  the  water  as  quietly  as  you  can;  we  have 
greased  the  falls  already.  We  will  tow  her  straight  ahead,  at 
any  rate  for  a  bit.  That  craft  won't  be  able  to  bring  any  guns 
to  bear  upon  us,  except  perhaps  a  couple  of  bow-chasers;  and 
as  she  won't  be  able  to  see  us,  there  is  not  much  chance  of 
our  being  hit.  Pass  the  hawser  along  from  boat  to  boat 
and  row  in  a  line  ahead  of  her,  the  hull  will  shelter  you. 
Then  lay  out  heartily,  but  be  ready  if  you  are  hailed  to 
throw  off  the  hawser  and  get  back  on  board  again  as  soon 
as  you  can,  for  they  may  send  their  boats  out  after  us.  We 
shall  get  a  start  anyhow,  for  when  they  hear  you  rowing 
they  will  think  you  are  putting  off  to  attack  them,  and  it 
will  be  some  minutes  before  they  will  find  out  their  mistake. 
Joe,  do  you  go  in  charge  of  the  boats;  I  will  take  the  helm. 
You  must  cut  the  cable,  they  would  hear  the  clank  of  the 
windlass." 

The  operation  of  lowering  boats  was  conducted  very 
silently.  Bob  had  taken  his  place  at  the  taffrail,  and  stood 
listening  for  any  sound  that  would  show  that  the  Spaniards 
had  heard  what  was  doing.  The  oars  were  scarcely  dipped 
in  the  water  when  he  heard  a  sudden  lull  in  the  distant 
talking.     A  minute  later  it  broke  out  again. 

"They  have  orders  to  pay  no  attention  to  the  noises," 
Captain  Lockett  said,  "  so  as  to  lead  us  to  think  that  we 
shall  take  them  unawares.  There  she  is  moving  now,"  he 
added  as  he  looked  down  into  the  water. 

Four  or  five  minutes  elapsed,  and  then  in  the  stillness  of 
the  evening  they  could  hear  a  loud  hail  in  Spanish :  "  What 
ship  is  that?     Cease  rowing  or  we  will  sink  you!  " 

"Don't  answer,"  Captain  Lockett  said.     "They  have  no- 


A    CRUISE    IN    A   PRIVATEER.  205 

thing  but  the  confused  sound  of  the  oars  to  tell  them  where 
we  are." 

The  hail  was  repeated,  and  a  minute  later  there  was  the 
flash  of  a  gun  in  the  darkness,  and  a  shot  hummed  through 
the  air. 

"  Fire  away,"  the  captain  muttered.  "You  are  only  wast- 
ing ammunition." 

For  some  minutes  the  Spaniard  continued  to  fire  her  two 
bow  guns.  Then  after  a  pause  there  was  a  crash,  and  twelve 
guns  were  discharged  together. 

"We  are  getting  farther  off  every  minute,"  the  captain 
said,  "and  unless  an  unlucky  shot  should  strike  one  of  her 
spars  we  are  safe."  The  broadside  was  repeated  four  times, 
and  then  all  was  silent.  "We  are  a  mile  away  from  them 
now,  Bob,  and  though  I  daresay  they  can  hear  the  sound  of 
the  oars  it  must  be  mere  guesswork  as  to  our  position." 

He  went  forward  to  the  bows,  and  hailed  the  boats. 

"Take  it  easy  now,  Mr.  Lockett;  I  don't  think  she  will 
fire  any  more.  When  the  men  have  got  their  wind  row  on 
again.  I  shall  head  her  out  now.  We  must  give  her  a  good 
three  miles  offing  before  we  stop." 

The  men  in  the  four  boats  had  been  exerting  themselves 
to  their  utmost,  and  it  was  five  minutes  before  they  began 
rowing  again.  For  an  hour  and  a  half  they  continued  their 
work,  and  then  Captain  Lockett  said  to  the  second-mate : 
"You  can  go  forward  and  hail  them  to  come  on  board.  I 
think  we  have  been  moving  through  the  water  about  two 
knots  an  hour,  so  we  must  be  three  miles  seaward  of  him." 

As  soon  as  the  men  came  on  board  a  tot  of  grog  was 
served  out  all  round.     Then  the  watch  below  turned  in. 

"You  won't  anchor,  I  suppose,  captain?" 

"  No,  there  is  a  considerable  depth  of  water  here  and  a 
rocky  bottom.  I  don't  want  to  lose  another  anchor,  and  it 
would  take  us  something  like  half  an  hour  to  get  it  up  again; 
besides,  what  current  there  is  will  drift  us  eastward.  There 
is  more  of  it  here  than  we  had  inshore.    I  should  say  there 


206  HELD    FAST   FOR    ENGLAND. 

must  be  nearly  a  knot  an  hour,  which  will  take  us  a  good 
distance  away  from  those  gentlemen  before  morning.  Now, 
Bob,  you  had  better  have  a  glass  of  grog  and  then  turn  in. 
Joe  will  excuse  you  keeping  watch  to-night." 

"Oh,  I  feel  all  right,"  Bob  said.  "The  water  was  quite 
warm,  and  I  slipped  down  and  changed  my  clothes  directly 
they  left  off  firing." 

"Never  mind,  you  turn  in  as  you  are  told.  You  have 
done  us  good  service  to-night,  and  have  earned  your  keep 
on  board  the  brig  if  you  were  to  stop  here  till  she  fell  to 
pieces  of  old  age." 

When  Bob  went  up  in  the  morning  at  five  o'clock  the 
three  Spanish  vessels  were  still  lying  at  anchor  under  the 
land,  seven  or  eight  miles  away. 

"There  is  a  breeze  coming,"  Joe  said,  "and  it  is  from 
the  south,  so  we  shall  get  it  long  before  they  do.  We  shall 
see  no  more  of  them." 

As  soon  as  the  breeze  reached  them  the  sails  were  braced 
aft,  and  the  brig  kept  as  close  to  the  wind  as  she  would 
sail,  lying  almost  directly  off  from  the  land. 

"I  want  them  to  think  that  we  are  frightened,"  Captain 
Lockett  said,  in  answer  to  a  question  from  Bob  as  to  the 
course,  "and  that  we  have  decided  to  get  away  from  their 
neighbourhood  altogether.  I  expect  they  are  only  going  as 
far  as  Alicante.  We  will  run  on  till  we  are  well  out  of 
sight,  then  hold  on  for  the  rest  of  the  day  east,  and  in  the 
night  head  for  land  again  beyond  Alicante.  It  would  never 
do  to  risk  those  fellows  coming  upon  us  again  when  we  are 
quietly  at  anchor.     We  might  not  be  so  lucky  next  time." 

An  hour  later  the  look-out  in  the  top  hailed  the  deck,  and 
said  there  was  a  sail  in  sight. 

"What  does  she  look  like,Halkett?  "  Joe  Lockett  shouted, 
for  the  captain  was  below. 

"  As  far  as  I  can  make  out  she  is  a  two-master — I  should 
say  a  brig." 

"How  is  she  heading;?  " 


A    CRUISE    IN   A    PRIVATEER.  207 

"About  north-east,  sir.  I  should  say  if  we  both  hold  on 
our  courses  she  will  pass  ahead  of  us." 

The  captain  was  now  on  deck,  and  he  and  the  first-mate 
went  up  to  the  top.  "Starboard  your  helm  a  bit!"  the 
captain  shouted,  after  examining  the  distant  sail  through 
his  telescope.     "Keep  her  about  east." 

"What  do  you  think  she  is,  captain?"  Bob  asked  when 
the  two  officers  came  down  again  to  the  poop. 

"  I  should  say  that  she  was  a  craft  about  our  own  size, 
Bob,  and  I  fancy  she  has  come  through  the  Straits,  keeping 
well  over  the  other  side  so  as  to  avoid  our  cruisers  from 
Gib,  and  is  now  heading  for  Alicante.  Now  we  are  on  our 
course  again,  parallel  to  the  coast,  there  is  no  reason  why 
she  should  suspect  us  of  being  anything  but  a  trader.  If 
she  doesn't  take  the  alarm  I  hope  we  shall  be  alongside  her 
in  a  few  hours." 


CHAPTER   XL 


CUTTING   OUT   A   PRIZE. 


THE  distant  sail  was  anxiously  watched  from  the  Antelope. 
She  closed  in  with  them  fast,  running  almost  before 
the  wind.  In  two  hours  her  hull  could  be  seen  from  the 
deck.  Efforts  had  been  made,  by  slacking  the  ropes  and 
altering  the  set  of  the  sails,  to  give  the  brig  as  slovenly 
an  appearance  as  possible.  The  guns  had  been  run  in  and 
the  port-holes  closed,  and  as  the  Spaniard  approached,  the 
crew,  with  the  exception  of  five  or  six  men,  were  ordered 
to  keep  below  the  bulwarks.  The  course  that  the  Spaniard 
was  taking  would  have  brought  her  just  under  the  stern  of 
the  Antelope,  when  suddenly  she  was  seen  to  change  her 
course  and  to  bear  up  into  the  wind. 

"Too  late,  my  lady,"  the  captain  said;  "you  have  blun- 
dered on  too  long.  There  is  something  in  our  cut  that  she 
doesn't  like.  Haul  down  that  Spanish  flag  and  run  the 
Union  Jack  up.  Open  ports,  lads,  and  show  them  our 
teeth.      Fire  that  bow  gun  across  her  forefoot !  " 

The  guns  were  already  loaded,  and  as  soon  as  they  were 
run  out  a  shot  was  fired  as  a  message  to  the  Spaniard  to  heave 
to.  A  minute  later,  as  she  paid  no  attention,  a  broadside 
followed.  Three  of  the  shots  went  crashing  into  the  side  of 
the  Spaniard,  and  one  of  her  boats  were  smashed.  A  moment 
later  the  Spanish  flag  fluttered  down,  and  a  hearty  cheer 
broke  from  the  crew  of  the  Antelope.  The  Spaniard  was 
thrown  up  into  the  wind,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  brig 
ranged  up  alongside  within  pistol  shot.  The  gig  was  lowered, 


CUTTING   OUT   A    PRIZE.  209 

and  the  captain  rowed  alongside  her,  taking  Bob  with  him 
as  interpreter. 

The  prize  proved  to  be  a  brig  of  about  the  same  tonnage 
as  the  Antelope.  She  was  from  Cadiz,  bound  first  to  Ali- 
cante and  then  to  Valencia.  She  carried  only  six  small 
guns  and  a  crew  of  eighteen  men;  her  cargo  consisted  of 
grain  and  olive-oil. 

"Not  a  bad  prize,"  Captain  Lockett  said,  as  Bob  read 
out  the  items  of  her  bill  of  lading.  "It  is  a  pity  that 
it  is  not  full  up  instead  of  only  half  laden.  Stili  it  is  not 
a  bad  beginning,  and  the  craft  herself  is  of  a  handy  size, 
and  if  she  won't  sell  at  Gibraltar  will  pay  very  well  to  take 
on  to  England.      I  should  say  she  was  fast." 

An  hour  later  the  two  brigs  parted  company,  the  second- 
mate  and  twelve  hands  being  placed  on  board  the  Spaniard. 
There  was  some  discussion  as  to  the  prisoners,  but  it  was 
finally  agreed  to  leave  them  on  board  their  ship. 

"Keep  them  down  in  the  hold,  Mr.  Crofts;  see  that  you 
don't  leave  any  knives  with  them.  Keep  a  couple  of  sen- 
tries over  the  hatchway.  If  the  wind  holds  you  will  be  in 
the  bay  by  to-morrow  evening.  Keep  pretty  well  inshore, 
and  slip  in  as  close  to  the  point  as  you  can.  If  you  do  that 
you  need  not  have  much  fear  of  their  gun-boats.  I  don't 
suppose  the  authorities  will  want  to  keep  the  prisoners,  but 
of  course  you  will  report  them  on  your  arrival,  and  can  give 
them  one  of  the  boats  to  land  across  the  bay  if  they  are  not 
wanted.  If  the  governor  wants  to  buy  the  cargo  for  the 
garrison  let  him  have  it  at  once;  don't  stand  out  for  exor- 
bitant terms,  but  take  a  fair  price.  It  is  just  as  well  to  be 
on  good  terms  with  the  authorities;  we  might  have  to  put 
in  to  refit,  and  want  spars,  &c,  from  the  naval  yard.  If  the 
governor  doesn't  want  the  cargo  don't  sell  it  to  anyone 
else  till  we  return;  there  is  no  fear  of  prices  going  down, 
the  longer  we  keep  it  the  more  we  shall  get  for  it." 

"Hadn't  I  better  bring  the  ship's  papers  on  board  with 
us,  Captain  Lockett?" 


210  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

"What  for,  Bob?  I  don't  see  that  they  would  be  any  use 
to  us,  and  the  bills  of  lading  will  be  useful  for  selling  the 
cargo/' 

"I  can  copy  them,  sir,  for  Mr.  Crofts.  What  I  thought 
was  this:  the  brig  is  just  our  own  size,  and  if  we  should 
get  becalmed  anywhere  near  the  shore  and  a  boat  put  off, 
we  might  possibly  be  able  to  pass  with  her  papers." 

"That  is  a  capital  idea,  Bob;  capital!  I  will  haveabit 
of  canvas  painted  'Alonzo,  Cadiz,'  in  readiness  to  nail  over 
our  stern  should  there  be  any  occasion  for  it.  Well,  good- 
bye Mr.  Crofts,  and  a  safe  journey  to  you.  I  needn't  tell 
you  to  keep  a  sharp  look-out." 

"You  may  trust  us  for  that,  sir;  we  have  no  desire  to 
rot  in  one  of  their  prisons  till  the  end  of  the  war." 

The  captain's  gig  took  him  back  to  the  Ante/ope,  the 
weather-sheets  of  the  fore-staysail  were  eased  off,  and  the 
square  sails  swung  round;  as  they  drew  the  two  brigs  got 
under  way,  heading  in  exactly  opposite  directions.  Before 
nightfall  the  captain  pronounced  that  they  were  now  abreast 
of  Alicante,  and  under  easy  sail  the  vessel's  head  was  turned 
towards  the  land,  and  the  next  morning  she  was  running 
along  the  shore  at  a  distance  of  three  miles.  Beyond  fish- 
ing-boats and  small  craft  hugging  the  land,  nothing  was 
met  with  until  they  neared  Cartagena.  Then  the  sound  of 
firing  was  heard  ahead,  and  on  rounding  a  headland  they 
saw  a  vessel  of  war  chasing  some  five  or  six  craft  nearer 
inshore. 

"That  is  a  British  frigate,"  the  captain  exclaimed  ;  "but 
I  don't  think  she  will  get  them.  There  is  Cartagena  only 
three  or  four  miles  ahead,  and  the  frigate  will  not  be  able 
to  cut  them  off  before  they  are  under  the  guns  of  the 
batteries." 

"They  are  not  above  a  mile  ahead  of  her,"  the  first-mate 
said;  "  if  we  could  knock  away  a  spar  with  our  long  eighteen 
we  might  get  one  of  them." 

"We  shouldn't  make  much  prize-money  if  we  did,  Joe, 


CUTTING   OUT   A    PRIZE.  211 

for  the  frigate  would  share;  and  as  she  has  five  or  six 
times  as  many  men  and  officers  as  we  have  got,  it  is  not 
much  we  should  get  out  of  it.  Hallo  !  "  he  broke  out,  as  a 
shot  came  ricochetting  along  the  water;  "she  is  trying  a 
shot  at  us.  I  forgot  we  had  the  Spanish  colours  up.  Get 
that  flag  down  and  run  up  the  Union  Jack,  Joe." 

"One  moment,  captain,"  Bob  said. 

"Well,  what  is  it,  Bob?" 

"Well,  it  seems  to  me,  sir,  that  if  we  keep  the  Spanish 
flag  up — " 

"We  may  be  sunk,"  the  captain  broke  in. 

"We  might,  sir,  but  it  is  very  unlikely,  especially  if  we 
run  in  more  to  the  shore;  but  you  see  if  we  are  fired  at  by 
the  frigate  it  will  never  enter  the  minds  of  the  Spaniards 
that  we  are  anything  but  what  we  seem,  and  if  we  like  we 
can  anchor  right  under  their  batteries  in  the  middle  of  their 
craft.  It  will  be  dark  by  the  time  we  get  in,  and  we  might 
take  our  pick  of  them." 

"That  is  a  splendid  idea,  Bob!  This  boy  is  getting  too 
sharp  for  us  altogether,  Joe;  he  is  as  full  of  ideas  as  a  ship's 
biscuit  is  of  weevils.  Keep  her  off,  helmsman;  that  will 
do."  Again  and  again  the  frigate  fired,  but  she  was  two 
miles  away,  and  though  the  shot  went  skipping  over  the 
water  near  the  brig,  none  of  them  struck  her.  The  men, 
unable  to  understand  why  they  were  running  the  gauntlet 
of  the  frigate's  fire,  looked  inquiringly  towards  the  poop. 

"It  is  all  right,  lads,"  the  captain  said;  "there  is  not 
much  fear  of  the  frigate  hitting  us,  and  it  is  worth  risking 
it.  The  Spaniards  on  shore  will  never  dream  that  we  are 
English,  and  we  can  bring  up  in  the  thick  of  them." 

There  was  a  good  deal  of  laughing  and  amusement  among 
the  men  as  they  understood  the  captain's  motive  in  allowing 
the  brig  to  be  made  a  target  of.  As  she  drew  in  towards 
shore  the  frigate's  fire  ceased  and  her  course  was  changed 
off  shore. 

"No  nearer,"  the  captain  said  to  the  helmsman.    "Keep 


212  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

her  a  little  farther  off  shore.  There  is  not  much  water  here, 
Joe;  "  for  a  man  had  been  heaving  the  lead  ever  since  they 
had  changed  their  course.  "We  have  not  got  a  fathom 
under  her  keel.  You  see  the  frigate  did  not  like  to  come 
any  closer.  She  would  have  cut  us  off  if  there  had  been 
deep  water  right  up." 

An  hour  later  the  brig  dropped  anchor  off  Cartagena,  at 
little  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  one  of  the  batteries 
that  guarded  the  entrance  to  the  port,  and  close  to  two  or 
three  of  the  craft  that  had  been  first  chased  by  the  frigate. 
These,  as  they  were  going  on  in  the  morning,  had  not 
entered  the  harbour  with  their  consorts,  for  it  was  already 
getting  dusk. 

"  Not  much  fear  of  their  coming  to  ask  any  questions  this 
evening,"  Joe  Lockett  said.  "The  Spaniards  are  not  given 
to  troubling  themselves  unnecessarily,  and  as  we  are  outside 
the  port  we  are  no  one's  business  in  particular." 

At  this  moment  a  hail  came  from  the  vessel  anchored 
ahead  of  them.  Bob  went  to  the  bulwark.  The  brig  had 
swung  head  to  wind,  and  was  broadside  on  with  the  other 
craft. 

"You  have  not  suffered  from  the  fire  of  that  accursed 
ship,  I  hope?"  the  captain  of  the  barque  shouted. 

"No,  sehor;  not  a  shot  struck  us." 

"  You  were  fortunate.  We  were  hulled  twice,  and  had  a 
man  killed  by  a  splinter.  This  is  a  rough  welcome  home  to 
us.  We  have  just  returned  from  Lima,  and  have  heard 
nothing  about  the  war  till  we  anchored  off  Alicante  yester- 
day. We  heard  some  firing  as  we  came  through  the  Straits, 
but  thought  it  was  only  one  of  the  ships  or  forts  practising 
at  a  mark.  It  was  lucky  we  put  in  at  Alicante,  or  we  should 
have  had  no  suspicion,  and  should  have  let  that  frigate  sail 
up  alongside  of  us  without  trying  to  escape." 

"You  were  fortunate  indeed,"  Bob  shouted  back.  "We 
had  ourselves  a  narrow  escape  of  being  captured  by  a  ship- 
of-war  near  Malaga.  The  Alonzo  is  only  from  Cadiz  with 
grain  and  olive-oil." 


CUTTING    OUT   A   PRIZE.  213 

"Do  you  think  there  is  any  fear  of  that  rascally  English- 
man trying  to  cut  us  out  with  his  boats  to-night?  " 

"Not  the  slightest,"  Bob  replied  confidently.  "They 
would  never  venture  on  that.  Those  batteries  on  shore 
would  blow  them  out  of  the  water,  and  they  would  know 
very  well  they  would  not  have  a  shadow  of  chance  of 
taking  us  out;  for  even  if  they  captured  us  the  batteries 
would  send  us  to  the  bottom  in  no  time.  Oh,  no;  you  are 
perfectly  safe  from  the  frigate  here." 

The  Spanish  captain  raised  his  hat,  Bob  did  the  same, 
and  both  left  the  side  of  their  ships. 

"Well,  what  does  he  say,  Bob?"  the  captain  asked. 

"I  think  you  are  in  luck  this  time,  captain,  and  no 
mistake." 

"How  is  that,  Bob?" 

"She  is  from  Lima." 

"You  don't  say  so!"  the  captain  and  Joe  exclaimed 
simultaneously.  "Then  she  is  something  like  a  prize.  She 
has  got  hides,  no  doubt;  but  the  chances  are  she  has  a  lot 
of  lead  too,  and  maybe  some  silver.  Ah !  he  is  getting  one 
of  his  boats  in  the  water.  I  hope  he  is  not  coming  off  here. 
If  he  does,  Joe,  Bob  must  meet  him  at  the  gangway  and 
take  him  into  the  cabin.  As  he  comes  in  you  and  I  will 
catch  him  by  the  throat,  gag  and  bind  him,  and  then  Bob 
must  go  and  tell  the  men  to  return  to  their  ship,  that  the 
captain  is  going  to  spend  the  evening  with  us,  and  that  we 
will  take  him  back  in  our  boat." 

"That  would  be  the  best  thing  that  could  happen,"  Joe 
said,  "  for  in  that  way  we  could  get  alongside  without 
suspicion." 

"So  we  could,  Joe.  I  didn't  think  of  that.  Yes,  I  hope 
he  is  coming  now." 

They  saw,  however,  the  boat  row  to  a  large  polacre  lying 
next  to  the  Spaniard  on  the  other  side.  It  remained  there 
two  or  three  minutes,  and  then  rowed  away  towards  the 
mouth  of  the  harbour. 


214  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

"Going  to  spend  the  evening  on  shore,"  the  captain  ob- 
served. "  I  am  not  surprised  at  that.  It  is  likely  enough 
they  have  been  six  months  on  their  voyage  from  Lima.  It 
is  unlucky,  though;  I  wish  he  had  come  here.  Well,  Bob, 
as  you  have  got  the  best  head  among  us,  what  scheme  do 
you  suggest  for  our  getting  on  board  that  craft?  " 

"I  think  we  could  carry  out  Joe's  idea,  though  in  a  dif- 
ferent way,"  Bob  said.  "I  should  say  we  had  better  get  a 
boat  out,  and  put  say  twenty  men  on  board.  It  is  getting 
dark,  but  they  might  all  lie  down  in  the  bottom  except  six 
oarsmen.  Then  we  should  pull  in  towards  the  mouth  of 
the  harbour  just  as  they  have  done,  and  lay  up  somewhere 
under  the  rocks  for  a  couple  of  hours,  then  row  off  again 
and  make  for  the  barque.  Of  course  they  would  think  it 
was  the  captain  returning.  Then  ten  of  the  men  should 
spring  on  board,  and  they  ought  to  be  able  to  silence  any 
men  on  deck  before  they  could  give  the  alarm.  Directly  the 
ten  men  got  out  the  boat  would  row  across  to  the  polacre,  as 
there  is  no  doubt  her  captain  went  ashore  with  the  other. 
They  would  take  her  in  the  same  way." 

"You  ought  to  be  made  Lord  High  Admiral  of  the  Fleet, 
Bob !  That  will  succeed  if  anything  will,  only  we  must  be 
sure  to  put  off  again  before  the  Spaniards  do. 

"Well,  Joe,  you  had  better  take  charge  of  this  expedi- 
tion. You  see,  however  quietly  it  is  done  there  is  almost 
sure  to  be  some  shouting,  and  they  will  take  the  alarm  at 
the  batteries,  and  when  they  make  out  three  of  us  suddenly 
getting  up  sail  they  will  be  pretty  certain  that  something  is 
wrong,  and  will  open  fire  on  us.  That,  of  course,  we  must 
risk;  but  the  thing  to  be  really  afraid  of  is  their  ghn-boats. 
They  are  sure  to  have  a  couple  of  them  in  the  port.  They 
may  be  some  little  time  in  getting  out,  but  they  will  come 
out.  The  wind  has  died  away  now,  but  the  land  breeze  is 
just  springing  up;  but  we  shall  hardly  get  off  before  the  gun- 
boats can  come  to  us,  they  row  a  lot  of  oars,  you  know. 
You  must  clap  on  all  sail  on  the  prizes,  and  I  shall  hang 


CUTTING    OUT   A    PRIZE.  215 

behind  a  bit  and  tackle  the  gun-boats.  You  will  see  what 
guns  there  are  on  board  the  prizes,  and  may  perhaps  be  able 
to  lend  me  a  hand;  but  that  you  will  see.  Of  course  you 
will  take  Bob  with  you  to  answer  the  hails  from  the  two 
Spaniards.  Be  careful  when  you- bring  up  ashore.  Let  the 
men  row  very  gently  after  they  once  get  away,  so  as  not  to 
attract  any  attention.  Let  them  take  cutlasses,  but  no 
pistols.  If  a  shot  were  fired  the  batteries  would  be  sure  at 
once  there  was  some  mischief  going  on.  A  little  shouting 
won't  matter  so  much;  it  might  be  merely  a  quarrel.  Of 
course  the  instant  you  are  on  board  you  will  cut  the  cables 
and  get  up  sail.  You  will  remain  on  board  the  barque, 
Joe.  Bob  will  have  command  of  the  party  that  attack 
the  polacre.  You  had  better  take  the  jolly-boat,  and  pick 
out  twenty  active  fellows.  Tell  them  to  leave  their  shoes 
behind  them;  the  less  trampling  and  noise  there  is  the 
better.  Tell  them  not  to  use  their  cutlasses  unless  driven 
to  it.  There  are  not  likely  to  be  above  four  or  five  men  on 
deck;  they  ought  to  be  able  to  knock  them  down  and  bind 
them  almost  before  they  know  what  has  happened." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  boat  was  lowered  and  manned,  and 
rowed  away  for  the  shore.  As  soon  as  they  got  well  past 
the  ships  the  men  were  ordered  to  row  as  quietly  and  noise- 
lessly as  possible.  Joe  had  brought  with  him  six  strips  of 
canvas,  and  handed  these  to  the  men,  and  told  them  to  wrap 
them  round  the  oars  so  as  to  muffle  them  in  the  rowlocks. 
This  was  done,  and  the  boat  glided  along  silently.  Keeping 
in  the  middle  of  the  channel,  they  passed  through  the  pas- 
sage between  the  shore  and  the  rocky  island  that  protects 
the  harbour,  and  then,  sweeping  round,  stole  up  behind  the 
latter  and  lay-to  close  to  the  rocks. 

"So  far  so  good,"  Joe  said  in  a  low  voice.  "I  don't 
think  the  sharpest  eyes  could  have  seen  us.  Now  the  ques- 
tion is  how  long  to  wait  here.  The  longer  we  wait  the  more 
of  the  Spaniards  will  have  turned  into  their  bunks;  but, 
upon  the  other  hand,  there  is  no  saying  how  long  the  cap- 


216  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

tains  will  remain  on  shore.  There  is  a  heavy  dew  falling, 
and  that  will  help  to  send  the  sailors  below.  I  should  think 
an  hour  would  be  about  the  right  time;  the  Dons  are  not 
likely  to  be  off  again  before  that.  It  is  some  distance  up 
the  harbour  to  the  landing-place,  and  they  would  hardly 
have  taken  the  trouble  to  go  ashore  unless  they  meant  to 
stay  a  couple  of  hours.      What  time  is  it  now,  Bob?  " 

Bob  opened  his  watch-case  and  felt  the  hands.  "  It  is 
just  a  quarter  past  nine." 

"Well,  we  will  move  at  ten,"  Joe  said. 

The  three-quarters  of  an  hour  passed  very  slowly,  and 
Bob  consulted  his  watch  several  times  before  the  minute- 
hand  got  to  twelve. 

"Ten  o'clock,"  he  said  at  last. 

The  oars  had  not  been  got  in,  so  the  boat  glided  off 
again  noiselessly  out  through  the  entrance.  There  were 
lights  burning  at  the  sterns  of  the  two  Spanish  ships  as  a 
guide  to  the  boat  coming  off,  and  when  the  boat  had  tra- 
versed half  the  distance  Joe  ordered  the  oars  to  be  un- 
muffled,  and  they  rowed  straight  for  the  barque.  There  was 
no  hail  at  their  approach,  but  a  man  appeared  at  the  top  of 
the  ladder.  As  the  boat  came  alongside  ten  of  the  men 
rose  noiselessly  from  the  bottom  of  the  boat  and  followed 
the  first-mate  up  the  ladder.  As  he  reached  the  top  Joe 
sprang  on  the  Spanish  sailor  and  seized  him  by  the  throat. 
The  two  sailors  following  thrust  a  gag  into  the  man's  mouth, 
bound  his  arms,  and  laid  him  down. 

This  was  effected  without  the  slightest  noise.  The  other 
sailors  had  by  this  time  clambered  up  from  the  boat  and 
scattered  over  the  deck.  A  group  of  seven  or  eight  Spaniards 
were  seated  on  the  deck  forward,  smoking  by  the  light  of 
a  lantern  which  hung  above  the  fo'castle.  They  did  not 
notice  the  approach  of  the  sailors  with  their  naked  feet,  and 
the  latter  sprang  upon  them,  threw  them  down,  bound 
and  gagged  them,  without  a  sound  save  a  few  short  excla- 
mations of  surprise  being  uttered.     Three  or  four  of  the 


CUTTING   OUT   A   PRIZE.  217 

sailors  now  coiled  a  rope  against  the  fo'castle  door  to  prevent 
its  being  opened.  In  the  meantime  Joe  with  two  men 
entered  the  cabin  aft,  where  they  found  the  two  Spanish 
mates  playing  at  cards.  The  sudden  apparition  of  three 
men  with  drawn  cutlasses  took  them  so  completely  by 
surprise  that  they  were  captured  without  any  attempt  at 
resistance,  and  were,  like  the  rest,  bound  and  gagged. 

"You  take  the  helm,  Halkett,"  Joe  said,  and  then 
hurried  forward.  "  Have  you  got  them  all  ?  "  he  asked  as  he 
reached  the  fo'castle. 

"Every  man-Jack,"  one  of  the  sailors  said. 

"Is  there  nobody  on  watch  in  the  bows?  " 

"No,  sir,  not  a  man." 

"Very  well.  Now  then  to  work.  Cut  the  cable,  Thomp- 
son.    The  rest  of  you  let  fall  the  sails." 

As  these  had  only  been  loosely  furled  when  the  vessel 
came  to  anchor,  this  was  done  in  a  very  short  time,  and  the 
vessel  began  to  move  through  the  water  before  the  light 
breeze,  which  was  dead  aft. 

The  capture  of  the  polacre  had  not  been  effected  so 
silently.  Bob  had  allowed  the  boatswain,  who  accompanied 
him,  to  mount  the  ladder  first;  but  the  man  at  the  top  of  the 
gangway  had  a  lantern,  and  as  its  light  fell  upon  the  sailor's 
face  he  uttered  an  exclamation  of  surprise,  which  called  the 
attention  of  those  on  deck,  and  as  the  sailors  swarmed  up 
the  ladder  shouts  of  alarm  were  raised.  But  the  Spaniards 
could  not  withstand  the  rush  of  the  English,  who  beat  them 
to  the  deck  before  they  had  time  to  seize  their  arms.  The 
noise,  however,  alarmed  the  watch  below,  who  were  just 
pouring  up  from  the  hatchway  when  they  were  attacked  by 
the  sailors  with  drawn  cutlasses,  and  were  speedily  beaten 
below  and  the  hatches  secured  over  them.  Bob  had  posted 
himself  with  two  of  the  men  at  the  cabin  door,  and  as  the 
officers  rushed  out  on  hearing  the  noise  they  were  knocked 
down  and  secured.  As  soon  as  this  was  effected  Bob  looked 
over  the  side. 


218  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

"Hurrah!"  he  said,  "the  barque  is  under  way  already. 
Get  the  sails  on  her,  lads,  and  cut  the  cable." 

While  this  was  being  done  Bob  mounted  the  poop,  placed 
one  of  the  sailors  at  the  helm,  and  then  turned  his  eyes 
towards  the  battery  astern.  He  heard  shouts,  and  had  no 
doubt  that  the  sound  of  the  scuffle  had  been  heard.  Then 
lights  appeared  in  several  of  the  casements;  and  just  as  the 
sails  were  sheeted  home,  and  the  polacre  began  to  move 
through  the  water,  a  rocket  whizzed  up  from  the  battery  and 
burst  overhead.  By  its  light  Bob  saw  the  Antelope  and  the 
Spanish  barque  two  or  three  hundred  yards  ahead,  with 
their  crews  getting  up  all  sail  rapidly. 

A  minute  later  twelve  heavy  guns  flashed  out  astern,  one 
after  another.  They  were  pointed  too  high  and  the  shot  flew 
overhead,  one  or  two  passing  through  the  sails.  The  boat- 
swain's voice  was  heard  shouting:  "Never  mind  the  shot, 
lads  !  Look  alive  !  Now,  then,  up  with  those  topgallant  sails ! 
The  quicker  you  get  them  up  the  quicker  we  shall  be  out  of 
range  !  "  Another  battery  higher  up  now  opened  fire,  but  the 
shot  did  not  come  near  them.  Then  rocket  after  rocket  was 
sent  up,  and  the  battery  astern  again  fired.  One  of  the 
shot  cut  away  the  main-topsail  yard,  another  struck  the 
deck  abreast  of  the  foremast,  and  then  tore  through  the 
bulwarks;  but  the  polacre  was  now  making  good  way.  They 
felt  the  wind  more  as  they  got  farther  from  the  shore,  and 
had  decreased  their  distance  from  the  craft  ahead.  The 
boatswain  now  joined  Bob  upon  the  poop. 

"We  have  got  everything  set  that  will  draw  now,"  he 
said;  "she  is  walking  along  well.  Another  ten  minutes 
and  we  shall  be  safe,  if  they  don't  knock  away  a  spar.  She 
is  a  fast  craft,  Mr.  Repton;  she  is  overhauling  the  other 
two  hand  over  hand." 

"  We  had  better  bear  away  a  bit,  boatswain.  The  captain 
said  we  were  to  scatter  as  much  as  we  could  so  as  to  divide 
their  fire." 

"All  right,   sir;  "  and  the  boatswain   gave    the   orders 


CUTTING   OUT   A   PRIZE.  219 

to  the  helmsman,  and  slightly  altered  the  trim  of  the 
sails. 

"  I  suppose  we  can  do  nothing  with  that  broken  yard, 
boatswain?  " 

"No,  sir;  and  it  don't  matter  much,  going  pretty  nearly 
before  the  wind  as  we  are.  The  sails  on  the  foremast  draw 
all  the  better,  so  it  don't  make  much  difference.  Look  out, 
below !  "  he  shouted  as  there  was  a  crash  above  and  the 
mizzen-mast  was  cut  in  sunder  by  a  shot  that  struck  it  just 
above  the  topsail  blocks,  and  the  upper  part  came  toppling 
down,  striking  the  bulwark,  and  falling  overboard. 

"Lay  aft,  lads,  and  out  knives!  "  the  boatswain  shouted. 
"  Cut  away  the  wreck  !  It  is  lucky  it  wasn't  two  feet  lower, " 
he  said  to  Bob,  "  or  it  would  have  brought  the  topsail  down, 
and  that  would  have  been  a  serious  loss  now  the  main-top- 
sail is  of  no  use." 

He  sprang  to  assist  the  men,  when  a  round  shot  struck 
him,  and  almost  carried  off  his  head.  Bob  caught  at  the 
knife  that  fell  from  his  hand,  and  set  to  work  with  the 
men. 

"That  is  it,  lads,  cut  away!  "  he  shouted.  "We  sha'n't 
have  many  more  of  them  on  board,  we  are  a  good  mile 
away  now." 

Just  as  the  work  of  getting  rid  of  the  wreck  was  accom- 
plished, one  of  the  men  said,  as  a  rocket  burst  overhead, 
"There  are  two  of  their  gun-boats  coming  out  of  the  har- 
bour, sir." 

"We  had  better  close  with  the  others,  then,"  Bob  said. 
"The  brig  will  engage  them  when  they  come  up.  We  shall 
be  well  beyond  reach  of  the  batteries  before  they  do.  Now, 
lads,  see  what  guns  she  carries.  Break  open  the  magazine 
and  get  powder  and  ball  up.  We  must  lend  the  captain  a 
hand  if  we  can." 

The  polacre  mounted  eight  guns,  all  impounders,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  these  were  loaded.  The  batteries  continued  to 
fire,  but   their   shooting   was  no  longer  accurate,  and  in 


220  HELD   FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

another  ten  minutes  ceased  altogether.  The  craft  had  now 
closed  to  within  hailing  distance  of  the  brig. 

"  Hallo,  the  polacre  !  "  Captain  Lockett  shouted.  "What 
damages?  " 

"The  boatswain  is  killed,  sir,"  Bob  shouted  back,  "and 
we  have  lost  two  spars;  but,  in  spite  of  that,  I  think  we 
are  sailing  as  fast  as  you." 

"What  guns  have  you  got?  " 

"Eight  fourteen-pounders,  sir.  We  are  loaded  and 
ready." 

"Keep  a  little  ahead  of  me,"  the  captain  shouted.  "I 
am  going  to  shorten  sail  a  bit.  We  have  got  to  fight  those 
gun-boats." 

As  he  spoke  a  heavy  gun  boomed  out  from  the  bow  of 
one  of  the  gun-boats,  and  the  shot  went  skipping  between 
the  two  vessels.  Directly  after,  the  other  gun-boat  fired, 
and  the  shot  struck  the  quarter  of  the  brig.  Then  there 
was  a  creaking  of  blocks  as  the  sheets  were  hauled  upon, 
and  as  the  yards  swung  round,  she  came  up  into  the  wind, 
and  a  broadside  was  fired  at  the  two  gun-boats.  Then  the 
helm  was  put  down,  and  she  payed  off  before  the  wind  again. 

The  gun-boats  ceased  rowing  for  a  minute.  The  discharge 
had  staggered  them,  for  they  had  not  given  the  brig  credit 
for  carrying  such  heavy  metal.  Then  they  began  to  row 
again.  The  swivel-gun  of  the  brig  kept  up  a  steady  fire  on 
them.  Two  of  the  guns  of  the  polacre  had  been  by  this 
time  shifted  to  the  stern,  and  these  opened  fire,  while  the 
first-mate's  crew  on  board  the  barque  were  also  at  work. 
A  fortunate  shot  smashed  many  of  the  oars  of  one  of  the 
gun-boats,  and  while  she  stopped  rowing  in  disorder,  the 
brig  was  again  rounded  to  and  opened  a  steady  fire  with  her 
broadside  guns  upon  them.  As  the  gun-boats  were  now 
little  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  the  effect  of  the 
brig's  fire,  aided  by  that  of  the  two  prizes,  was  very  severe, 
and  in  a  short  time  the  Spaniards  put  round  and  rowed 
towards  the  shore,  while  a  hearty  cheer  broke  from  the 
brig  and  her  prizes. 


CUTTING   OUT  A   PRIZE.  221 

There  had  been  no  more  casualties  on  board  the  polacre, 
the  fire  of  the  gun-boats  having  been  directed  entirely  upon 
the  brig,  as  the  Spaniards  knew  that  if  they  could  but  destroy 
or  capture  her  they  would  be  able  to  recover  the  prizes. 
The  polacre  was  soon  brought  close  alongside  of  the  brig. 

"Have  you  suffered  much,  Captain  Lockett?" 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say  we  have  had  six  men  killed  and  five 
wounded.  We  have  got  a  dozen  shot  in  our  stern.  They 
were  evidently  trying  to  damage  the  rudder,  but  beyond 
knocking  the  cabin  fittings  to  pieces,  there  is  no  more  harm 
done  than  the  carpenter  can  repair  in  a  few  hours'  work. 
You  have  not  been  hit  again,  have  you?  " 

"No,  sir;  none  of  their  shots  came  near  us." 

"Well,  examine  the  papers  and  have  a  talk  with  the 
officers  you  made  prisoners,  and  then  come  on  board  to  re- 
port. I  shall  want  you  to  go  on  board  the  barque  with  me 
and  see  what  she  is  laden  with." 

Bob  went  below.  The  two  Spanish  mates  were  unbound. 
"I  am  sorry,  senors,"  Bob  said,  "that  we  were  obliged  to 
treat  you  rather  roughly,  but  you  see  we  were  in  a  hurry, 
and  there  was  no  time  for  explanations.  I  shall  be  obliged 
if  you  will  show  me  which  is  the  captain's  cabin,  and  hand 
me  over  the  ship's  papers  and  manifesto.  What  is  her 
name?  " 

"The  Braganza." 

"Where  are  you  from?  and  what  do  you  carry?  " 

"  We  are  from  Cadiz,  and  are  laden  principally  with  wine. 
We  were  bound  for  Barcelona.  You  took  us  in  nicely,  sehor. 
Who  could  have  dreamt  that  you  were  English  when  that 
frigate  chased  you  under  the  guns  of  the  battery?  " 

"She  thought  we  were  Spanish  as  you  did,"  Bob  said. 

By  this  time  the  other  Spaniard  had  brought  the  papers 
out  of  the  captain's  cabin.  Bob  ran  his  eye  down  over  the 
bill  of  lading,  and  was  well  satisfied  with  the  result.  She 
contained  a  very  large  consignment  of  wine. 

"I  am  going  on  board  the  brig,"  he  said,  as  he  put  the 


A1Z  HELD   FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

papers  together.  "  I  must  ask  you  to  give  me  your  parole 
not  to  leave  the  cabin  until  I  return.  I  do  not  know  whether 
my  captain  wishes  you  to  remain  here  or  will  transfer  you 
to  his  own  craft." 

"Well,  Master  Bob,  what  is  your  prize?"  the  captain 
asked. 

"  It  is  a  valuable  one,  sir.  The  polacre  herself  is,  as  I 
see  by  her  papers,  only  two  years  old,  and  seems  a  fine  craft. 
She  is  laden  with  wine  from  Cadiz  to  Barcelona." 

"Capital,  Bob;  we  are  in  luck  indeed!  How  many 
prisoners  have  you  got?  " 

"The  crew  is  put  down  at  eighteen,  sir,  and  there  are  the 
two  mates." 

"You  had  better  send  them  on  board  here  presently. 
Where  are  they  now?  " 

"They  are  in  the  cabin,  captain.  They  gave  me  their 
promise  not  to  leave  it  till  I  return;  but  I  put  a  man  on 
sentry  outside,  so  as  to  make  sure  of  them." 

"  Well,  perhaps  you  had  better  go  back  again  now,  and  we 
will  shape  our  course  for  Gibraltar  at  once.  All  this  firing 
would  have  attracted  the  attention  of  any  Spanish  war-vessel 
there  might  be  about.  We  must  leave  the  barque's  mani- 
festo till  the  morning.  As  you  have  lost  the  boatswain,  I 
will  send  one  of  my  best  hands  back  with  you  to  act  as  your 
first-mate.  He  must  get  that  topsail  yard  of  yours  repaired 
at  once.  It  does  not  matter  about  the  mizzen-mast,  but  the 
yard  is  of  importance.  We  may  meet  with  Spanish  cruis- 
ers outside  the  Rock  and  may  have  to  show  our  heels." 

"Yes,  I  shall  be  glad  of  a  good  man,  captain.  You  see  I 
know  nothing  about  it,  and  don't  like  giving  any  orders.  It 
was  all  very  well  getting  on  board  and  knocking  down  the 
crew,  but  when  it  comes  to  sailing  her,  it  is  perfectly  ridi- 
culous my  giving  orders  when  the  men  know  that  I  don't 
know  anything  about  it." 

"The  men  know  you  have  plenty  of  pluck,  Bob,  and  they 
know  that  it  was  entirely  due  to  your  swimming  off  to  that 


CUTTING    OUT   A    PRIZE.  223 

Spanish  ship  that  we  escaped  being  captured  before,  and 
they  will  obey  you  willingly  as  far  as  you  can  give  them 
orders.  Still,  of  course,  you  do  want  somebody  with  you  to 
give  orders  as  to  the  setting  and  taking  in  of  the  sails." 

As  soon  as  the  last  gun  had  been  fired  the  three  vessels  had 
been  laid  head  to  wind,  but  when  Bob's  boat  reached  the  side 
of  the  polacre  they  were  again  put  on  their  course  and  headed 
south-west,  keeping  within  a  short  distance  of  each  other. 
Bob's  new  first-mate,  an  old  sailor  named  Brown,  at  once 
set  the  crew  to  work  to  get  up  a  fresh  spar  in  place  of  the 
broken  yard.  The  men  all  worked  with  a  will.  They  were 
in  high  spirits  at  the  captures  they  had  made,  and  the  news 
which  Brown  gave  them  that  the  polacre  was  laden  with 
wine,  assured  to  each  of  them  a  substantial  sum  in  prize- 
money. 

Before  morning  the  yard  was  in  its  place  and  the  sail  set, 
and  except  for  the  shortened  mizzen  and  a  ragged  hole 
through  the  bulwark  forward  the  polacre  showed  no  signs 
of  the  engagement  of  the  evening  before.  Two  or  three 
men  were  slung  over  the  stern  of  the  brig,  plugs  had  been 
driven  through  the  shot  holes,  and  over  these  patches  of 
canvas  were  nailed  and  painted  black.  Nothing,  however, 
could  be  done  with  the  sails,  which  were  completely  riddled 
with  holes.  The  crew  were  set  to  work  to  shift  some  of  the 
worst,  cutting  them  away  from  the  yards  and  getting  up 
spare  sails  from  below.  Bob  had  put  a  man  on  the  look-out 
to  give  him  notice  if  any  signal  was  made  to  him  from  the 
brig,  which  was  a  quarter  of  a  mile  ahead  of  him,  the 
polacre's  topgallant  sails  having  been  lowered  after  the 
main-topsail  had  been  hoisted,  as  it  was  found  that  with  all 
sail  set  she  sailed  considerably  faster  than  the  brig. 

Presently  the  man  came  aft  and  reported  that  the  captain 
was  waving  his  hat  from  the  taffrail. 

"We  had  better  get  up  the  main-topgallant  sail,  Brown, 
and  run  up  to  her,"  Bob  said.  The  sail  was  soon  hoisted, 
and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  they  were  alongside  the  brig. 


224  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

"That  craft  sails  like  a  witch,"  Captain  Lockett  said,  as 
they  came  abreast  of  him. 

"Yes,  sir,  she  seems  very  fast." 

"It  is  a  pity  she  is  rigged  as  she  is,"  the  captain  said. 
"It  is  an  outlandish  fashion;  if  she  were  barque-rigged  I 
should  be  tempted  to  shift  on  board  her.  We  will  leave 
the  barque  alone  at  present,  Mr.  Repton;  our  curiosity  must 
keep  a  bit.  I  don't  want  to  lose  any  of  this  breeze.  We 
will  keep  right  on  as  long  as  it  lasts,  if  it  drops  we  will 
overhaul  her." 

The  barque  was  the  slowest  craft  of  the  three,  and  Joe 
Lockett  had  every  stitch  of  canvas  set  to  enable  him  to 
keep  up  with  the  others.  At  noon  a  large  craft  was  seen 
coming  off  from  the  land.  Bob  examined  her  with  the 
telescope,  and  then  handed  the  glass  to  Brown.  "  She  is  a 
frigate,"  the  sailor  said.  "  It's  the  same  that  blazed  away  at 
us  yesterday;  it's  the  Brilliant,  I  think." 

"You  are  sure  she  is  the  same  that  chased  us  yester- 
day?" 

"Quite  sure." 

Captain  Lockett  was  evidently  of  the  same  opinion,  as  no 
change  was  made  in  the  course  he  was  steering.  "We  may 
as  well  speak  the  captain  again,"  Bob  said;  and  the  polacre, 
closed  again  with  the  brig.  "  Brown  says  that  is  the  same 
frigate  that  fired  at  us  yesterday,  Captain  Lockett,"  Bob 
said  when  they  were  within  hailing  distance. 

"Yes,  there  is  no  doubt  about  that.  I  don't  want  to  lose 
time  or  I  would  stand  out  and  try  our  speed  with  her." 

"Why,  sir?" 

"  Because  I  am  afraid  she  will  want  to  take  some  of  our 
hands.  Those  frigates  are  always  short  of  hands.  Still  she 
may  not,  as  we  have  got  twelve  men  already  away  in  a  prize 
and  ten  in  each  of  these  craft." 

"I  don't  think  you  need  be  uneasy,  sir.  I  know  the 
captain  of  the  Brilliant  and  all  the  officers.  If  you  like  I 
will  keep  the  polacre  on  that  side,  so  that  they  will  come  up 


CUTTING   OUT   A    PRIZE.  Sid 

to  us  first,  and  will  go  on  board  and  speak  to  the  captain. 
I  don't  think  then  he  would  interfere  with  us." 

"Very  well,  Mr.  Repton;  we  will  arrange  it  so." 

The  polacre  had  now  taken  its  place  to  leeward  of  the 
other  two  vessels,  and  they  held  on  in  that  order  until  the 
frigate  was  within  half  a  mile,  when  she  fired  a  gun  across 
their  bows  as  signal  for  them  to  heave  to.  The  brig  was 
now  flying  the  British  colours,  her  prizes  the  British  colours 
with  the  Spanish  underneath  them.  At  the  order  to  heave 
to  they  were  all  thrown  up  into  the  wind.  The  frigate  re- 
duced her  sail  as  she  came  up,  and  as  she  neared  the  polacre 
the  order  was  shouted,  "  Send  a  boat  alongside  !  "  The  boat 
was  already  prepared  for  lowering;  four  seamen  got  into  her 
and  rowed  Bob  alongside  the  frigate.  The  first  person  he 
encountered  as  he  stepped  on  to  the  deck  was  Jim  Sankey, 
who  stared  at  him  in  astonishment. 

"Hullo,  Bob!     What  in  the  world  are  you  doing  here?" 

"I  am  in  command  of  that  polacre,  Mr.  Sankeyj"  Bob 
replied. 

"  Eh — what?  "  Jim  stammered  in  astonishment,  when  the 
captain's  voice  from  the  quarter-deck  came  sharply  down: 

"Now,  Mr.  Sankey,  what  are  you  waiting  for?  Bring 
that  gentleman  here." 

Jim  led  the  way  up  to  the  poop.  Bob  saluted,  "Good- 
morning,  Captain  Langton." 

"Why,  it's  Repton!  "  the  captain  exclaimed  in  surprise. 
"Why,  where  did  you  spring  from,  and  what  craft  are 
these?  " 

"  I  am  in  command  at  present,  sir,  of  the  polacre,  which, 
with  the  barque,  is  a  prize  of  the  brig  the  Antelope,  pri- 
vateer." 

But  what  are  you  doing  on  board,  Repton?  and  how  is 
it  that  you  are  in  command?  " 

"Well,  sir,  I  was  out  on  a  cruise  in  the  Antelope.  The 
second-mate  was  sent  with  a  prize  crew  back  to  Gibraltar  in 
a  craft  we  picked  up  off  Malaga.    We  cut  out  the  other  two 


226  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

prizes  from  under  the  guns  of  Cartagena.  The  first-mate 
was  in  command  of  the  party  that  captured  the  barque; 
and  as  there  was  no  one  else  to  send,  the  captain  put  me  in 
command  of  the  party  that  captured  the  polacre." 

"But  how  on  earth  did  you  manage  it?"  the  captain 
asked.  "  I  see  the  brig  has  been  cut  up  a  good  deal  about 
the  sails  and  rigging.  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  she  sailed 
right  into  Cartagena?  Why,  they  would  have  blown  her 
out  of  the  water!  " 

"We  didn't  go  in,  sir;  we  anchored  outside  the  port. 
We  were  not  suspected,  because  one  of  His  Majesty's  frigates 
fired  at  us  as  we  were  going  in;  and  the  consequence  was 
the  Dons  never  suspected  that  we  were  anything  but  a 
Spanish  trader." 

"Why,  you  don't  mean  to  say,"  the  captain  exclaimed, 
"that  this  was  the  brig  flying  Spanish  colours  which  we 
chased  in  under  the  guns  of  Cartagena  yesterday?  " 

"It  is,  sir,"  Bob  said  smiling.  "You  did  us  a  very  good 
turn,  although  your  intentions  were  not  friendly.  We  were 
under  Spanish  colours  when  you  made  us  out,  and  it  struck 
us  that  running  the  gauntlet  of  your  fire  for  a  little 
while  would  be  an  excellent  introduction  for  us  to  the 
Spaniards.  So  it  proved.  We  brought  up  close  to  those 
other  two  vessels,  and  I  had  a  talk  with  the  captain  of  one 
of  them.  The  two  captains  both  went  ashore  after  dark ;  so 
we  put  twenty  men  into  a  boat  and  rowed  in  to  the  mouth 
of  the  port,  waited  there  for  a  bit,  and  then  rowed  straight 
out  to  the  ships.  They  thought,  of  course,  it  was  their 
own  officers  returning;  so  we  took  them  by  surprise  and 
captured  them  pretty  easily.  Unfortunately  there  was  some 
noise  made,  and  they  took  the  alarm  on  shore.  However, 
we  were  under  way  before  the  batteries  opened.  It  was 
rather  unpleasant  for  a  bit,  but  we  got  safely  out.  Two 
gun- boats  came  out  after  us,  but  the  brig  beat  them  off,  and 
we  helped  as  well  as  we  could.  The  brig  had  five  men 
killed,  we  had  one,  and  there  are  several  wounded." 


CUTTING   OUT   A   PRIZE.  227 

"Well,  it  was  a  very  dashing  affair,"  the  captain  said; 
"very  creditable  indeed.  I  hope  you  will  get  a  share  of  the 
prize-money." 

"  I  only  count  as  a  hand,"  Bob  said  laughing;  "and  I  am 
sure  that  is  as  much  as  I  deserve.  But  here  comes  the 
captain,  sir;  he  will  tell  you  more  about  it." 

Captain  Lockett  now  came  on  board,  and  Bob,  seeing 
that  he  was  not  farther  required,  went  off  with  Jim  down  to 
the  cockpit.  The  captain  had  a  long  talk  with  Captain 
Lockett.  When  the  latter  had  related  in  full  the  circum- 
stances of  his  capture  of  his  two  prizes  he  said : 

"There  is  a  Spanish  ship-of-war,  sir,  somewhere  off  Ali- 
cante at  present.  She  is  got  up  as  a  merchantman  and  took 
us  in  thoroughly,  and  we  should  probably  have  been  caught 
if  it  had  not  been  for  Mr.  Repton,"  and  he  then  related 
how  Bob  had  swum  on  board  and  discovered  the  supposed 
merchantman  to  be  a  ship-of-war. 

"Thank  you,  Captain  Lockett.  I  will  go  in  and  have  a 
look  after  her.  It  is  fortunate  that  you  told  me,  for  if  I  had 
seen  her  lying  at  anchor  under  the  land  I  might  have  sent 
some  boats  in  to  cut  her  out,  and  might,  as  you  nearly  did, 
have  caught  a  tartar.  He  is  an  uncommonly  sharp  young 
fellow,  that  Repton.  I  offered  him  a  midshipman's  berth 
here  when  I  first  came  out,  but  he  refused  it.  By  what  you 
say  he  must  be  a  good  officer  lost  to  the  service." 

"He  would  have  made  a  good  officer,  sir;  he  has  his  wits 
about  him  so  thoroughly.  It  was  his  doing  our  keeping  the 
Spanish  flag  flying  when  you  came  upon  us.  I  had  ordered 
the  colours  to  be  run  down,  when  he  suggested  our  keeping 
them  up  and  running  boldly  in  to  Cartagena." 

"I  suppose  you  can't  spare  us  a  few  hands,  Captain 
Lockett?" 

"Well,  sir,  I  shall  be  very  short  as  it  is.  You  see  I  have 
a  score  away  in  a  prize,  I  have  had  six  killed,  and  some 
of  the  wounded  won't  be  fit  for  work  for  some  time,  and  I 
mean  to  take  these  two  prizes  back  with  me  to  England. 


228  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

They  are  both  valuable,  and  I  should  not  get  anything  like 
a  fair  price  for  them  at  Gibraltar.  I  don't  want  to  run 
the  risk  of  their  being  picked  up  by  privateers  on  the  way 
back,  so  I  shall  convoy  them;  and  I  certainly  sha'n't  have 
a  man  too  many  to  fight  my  guns  when  I  have  put  crews 
on  board  them." 

"No,  I  suppose  not,"  the  captain  said.  "Well,  I  must 
do  without  them,  then.  Now,  as  I  suppose  you  want  to  be 
on  your  way,  I  will  not  detain  you  any  longer." 

Bob  was  sent  for. 

"  Captain  Lockett  has  been  telling  me  that  you  were  the 
means  of  preventing  his  getting  into  a  nasty  scrape  with 
that  Spanish  man-of-war,  Mr.  Repton.  I  consider  there  is 
great  credit  due  to  you.  It  is  a  pity  you  didn't  come  on  to 
my  quarter-deck." 

"I  should  not  have  got  the  chances  then,  sir,"  Bob  said. 

"Well,  no;  I  don't  know  that  you  would,  lad;  there 
is  something  in  that.  Well,  good-bye.  I  shall  write  and 
tell  the  admiral  all  about  it.  I  know  he  will  be  glad  to 
hear  of  your  doings." 

A  few  minutes  later  the  privateer  and  her  prizes  were  on 
their  way  towards  Gibraltar,  while  the  frigate  was  standing 
inshore  again  to  search  for  the  Spanish  ship-of-war. 


CHAPTER   XII. 


A    RICH    PRIZE. 


IN  the  evening  the  wind  died  away,  and  the  three  vessels 
were  becalmed.  Captain  Lockett  rowed  to  the  polacre 
and  examined  his  prize,  and  then  taking  Bob  in  his  boat 
rowed  to  the  barque. 

"Well,  Joe,  have  you  made  out  what  you  have  got  on 
board?  "  the  captain  said,  when  he  reached  the  deck. 

"  No,  sir.  Neither  of  the  officers  can  speak  a  word  of 
English.  I  have  opened  the  hatches  and  she  is  chock-full 
of  hides,  but  what  there  is  underneath  I  don't  know." 

"Come  along,  Bob,  we  will  overhaul  the  papers,"  the 
captain  said,  and  going  to  the  cabin  they  examined  the 
bill  of  lading. 

"  Here  it  is,  sir,"  Bob  said  triumphantly.  "Two  hundred 
tons  of  lead." 

"Splendid!"  the  captain  exclaimed.  "That  is  a  prize 
worth  having.  Of  course  that  is  stowed  away  at  the  bottom, 
and  then  she  is  filled  up  with  hides,  and  they  are  worth  a  lot 
of  money;  but  the  lead  alone  is  worth  six  thousand  pounds, 
at  twenty  pounds  per  ton.     Is  there  anything  else,  Bob?  " 

"Yes,  sir.  There  are  fifty  boxes;  it  doesn't  say  what  is 
in  them." 

"You  don't  say  so,  Bob!  Perhaps  it  is  silver.  Let  us 
ask  the  officers." 

The  Spanish  first-mate  was  called  down.  "Where  are 
these  boxes?  "  Bob  asked;  "and  what  do  they  contain?  " 

"They  are  full  of  silver,"  the  man  said  sullenly.  "They 
are  stowed  in  the  lazaretto  under  this  cabin." 


230  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

"We  will  have  one  of  them  up  and  look  into  it,"  the 
captain  said.     "Joe,  call  a  couple  of  hands  down." 

The  trap-door  of  the  lazaretto  was  lifted;  Joe  and  the 
two  sailors  descended  the  ladder,  and  with  some  difficulty 
one  of  the  boxes  was  hoisted  up. 

"That  weighs  over  two  hundredweight,  I'm  sure,"  Joe 
said. 

The  box  was  broken  open,  and  it  was  found  to  be  filled 
with  small  bars  of  silver. 

"Are  they  all  the  same  size,  Joe?"  the  captain  asked. 

"Yes,  as  far  as  I  can  see." 

The  captain  took  out  his  pocket-book  and  made  a  rapid 
calculation. 

"Then  they  are  worth  between  thirty-two  and  thirty- 
three  thousand  pounds,  Joe.  Why,  lad,  she  is  worth  forty 
thousand  pounds  without  the  hides  or  the  hull.  That  is  some- 
thing like  a  capture,"  and  the  two  men  shook  hands  warmly. 

"The  best  thing  to  do,  Joe,  will  be  to  divide  these 
boxes  between  the  three  ships;  then  even  if  one  of  them 
gets  picked  up  by  the  Spaniards  or  French,  we  shall  still  be 
in  clover." 

"I  think  that  would  be  a  good  plan,"  Joe  agreed. 

"We  will  do  it  at  once.  There  is  nothing  like  making 
matters  safe.  Just  get  into  the  boat  alongside  and  row  to 
the  brig,  and  tell  them  to  lower  the  jolly-boat  and  send  it 
alongside.  We  will  get  some  of  the  boxes  up  by  the  time 
you  are  back." 

In  an  hour  the  silver  was  divided  between  the  three  ships, 
and  the  delight  of  the  sailors  was  great  when  they  heard 
how  valuable  had  been  the  capture. 

"How  do  you  divide?"  Bob  asked  Captain  Lockett,  as 
they  were  watching  the  boxes  lowered  into  the  boat. 

"The  ship  takes  half,"  he  said.  "Of  the  other  half  I 
take  twelve  shares,  Joe  eight,  the  second-mate  six,  the 
boatswain  three,  and  the  fifty  hands  one  share  each.  So 
you  may  say  there  are  eighty  shares;  and  if  the  half  of  the 


A    RICH    PRIZE.  231 

prize  is  worth  twenty  thousand  pounds,  each  man's  share 
will  be  two  hundred  and  fifty.  It  will  be  worth  having,  Bob ; 
though  it  is  a  great  shame  you  should  not  rate  as  an  officer." 

"I  don't  want  the  money,"  Bob  laughed.  "I  should 
have  no  use  for  it  if  I  had  it.  My  uncle  has  taken  me  in 
hand,  and  I  am  provided  for." 

"Yes,  I  understand  that,"  the  captain  said.  "If  it  were 
not  so  I  should  have  proposed  to  the  crew  that  they  should 
agree  to  your  sharing  the  same  as  the  second  officer.  I  am 
sure  they  would  have  agreed  willingly,  seeing  that  it  is  due 
to  you  that  we  were  not  captured  ourselves  in  the  first 
place,  and  entirely  to  your  suggestion  that  we  should  keep 
the  Spanish  flag  flying  and  run  into  Cartagena,  that  we 
owe  the  capture  of  the  prizes." 

"  Oh,  I  would  much  rather  not,  captain.  I  only  came  for 
a  cruise,  and  it  has  been  a  splendid  one;  and  it  seems  to  be 
quite  absurd  that  I  should  be  getting  anything  at  all.  Still, 
it  will  be  jolly,  because  I  shall  be  able  to  make  Carrie  and 
Gerald  nice  presents  with  my  own  money,  and  to  send  some 
home  to  Mr.  Medlin  and  his  family,  and  something  to  uncle 
too,  if  I  can  think  of  anything  he  would  like." 

"Yes,  it  is  all  very  well,  Bob,  for  you;  but  I  feel  that  it 
is  not  fair.  However,  as  you  really  don't  want  the  money 
and  are  well  satisfied,  we  will  say  nothing  more  about  it 
now." 

The  ships  lay  becalmed  all  night,  but  a  brisk  breeze  from 
the  east  sprang  up  in  the  morning,  and  at  noon  the  Rock  was 
visible  in  the  distance.  They  held  on  for  four  hours,  and 
then  lay  to  till  after  midnight.  After  that,  sail  was  again 
made,  and  soon  after  daybreak  they  passed  Europa  Point, 
without  having  been  seen  by  any  of  the  Spanish  cruisers. 
They  were  greeted  by  a  hearty  cheer  from  the  vessels 
anchored  near  the  new  Mole  as  they  brought  up  amongst 
them  with  the  British  flags  flying  above  the  Spanish  on 
board  the  prizes.  As  soon  as  the  morning  gun  was  fired 
and  the  gates  opened,   Bob  landed  and  hurried  up  to  his 


232  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

sister's.  She  and  her  husband  were  just  partaking  of  their 
early  coffee. 

"  Hallo,  Bob  !  "  Captain  O'Halloran  exclaimed.  "What, 
back  again?  Why,  I  didn't  expect  you  for  another  fort- 
night. You  must  have  managed  very  badly  to  have  brought 
your  cruise  to  an  end  so  soon." 

"Well,  I  am  very  glad  you  are  back,  Bob,"  his  sister 
said.  "I  have  been  fidgetting  about  you  ever  since  you 
were  away." 

"I  am  as  glad  to  see  you  as  your  sister  can  be,"  Gerald 
put  in.  "  If  she  has  fidgetted  when  you  had  only  gone  a 
week,  you  can  imagine  what  I  should  have  to  bear  before 
the  end  of  a  month.  I  should  have  had  to  move  into 
barracks.     Life  would  have  been  insupportable  here." 

"I  am  sure  I  have  said  very  little  about  it,  Gerald,"  his 
wife  said  indignantly. 

"No,  Carrie,  you  have  not  said  much,  but  your  aspect 
has  been  generally  tragic.  You  have  taken  but  slight  interest 
in  your  fowls,  and  there  has  been  a  marked  deterioration 
in  the  meals.  My  remarks  have  been  frequently  unanswered, 
and  you  have  got  into  a  Sister  Anne  sort  of  way  of  going 
upon  the  roof  and  staring  out  to  sea.  Your  sister  is  a  most 
estimable  woman,  Bob,  I  am  the  last  person  who  would 
deny  it,  but  I  must  admit  that  she  has  been  a  little  trying 
during  the  last  week." 

Carrie  laughed.  "Well,  it  is  only  paying  you  back  a 
little  in  your  own  coin,  Gerald.  But  what  has  brought  you 
back  so  soon,  Bob?  We  heard  of  you  three  days  ago;  for 
Gerald  went  on  board  a  brig  that  was  brought  in,  as  he 
heard  that  it  was  a  prize  of  the  Antelope' ' s,  and  the  officer 
told  him  about  your  cruise  up  to  when  he  had  left  you." 

"Well,  there  wasn't  much  to  tell  up  till  then,"  Bob  said, 
"  except  that  I  was  well  and  my  appetite  was  good.  But 
there  has  been  a  good  lot  since.  We  have  come  in  with  two 
more  good  prizes  this  morning,  and  the  brig  is  going  to 
convoy  them  back  to  England." 


A    RICH   PRIZE.  233 

"Oh,  that  is  all  right,"  Carrie  said  in  a  tone  of  pleasure. 
So  far  she  had  been  afraid  that  Bob's  return  was  only  a 
temporary  one,  and  that  he  might  be  setting  out  again  in  a 
day  or 'two. 

"Well,  let  us  hear  all  about  it,  Bob,"  her  husband  said. 
"I  could  see  Carrie  was  on  thorns  lest  you  were  going  off 
again.  Now  that  she  is  satisfied  she  may  be  able  to  listen 
to  you  comfortably." 

"Well,  we  really  had  some  adventures,  Gerald.  We  had 
a  narrow  escape  from  being  captured  by  a  Spanish  ship-of- 
war  ever  so  much  stronger  than  we  were.  She  was  got  up 
as  a  merchantman,  and  regularly  took  us  in.  We  anchored 
close  to  her,  intending  to  board  her  in  the  dark.  I  thought 
I  would  swim  off  and  reconnoitre  a  bit  before  we  attacked 
her,  and,  of  course,  I  saw  at  once  what  she  was,  and  we  cut 
our  cable  and  were  towed  out  in  the  dark.  She  fired  away 
at  us  but  didn't  do  us  any  damage.  The  next  day,  late  in 
the  afternoon,  we  came  upon  the  Brilliant  chasing  some 
Spanish  craft  into  Cartagena,  and  as  we  had  Spanish  colours 
up  she  took  us  for  one  of  them,  and  blazed  away  at  us." 

"But  why  didn't  you  pull  down  the  Spanish  colours  at 
once,  Bob?  I  never  heard  of  anything  so  silly,"  Carrie  said 
indignantly. 

"Well,  you  see,  Carrie,  they  were  some  distance  off,  and 
weren't  likely  to  damage  us  much,  and  we  ran  straight  in 
and  anchored  with  the  rest  under  the  guns  of  the  battery 
outside  Cartagena.  Seeing  us  fired  at,  of  course  they  never 
suspected  we  were  English.  Then  at  night  we  captured  the 
two  vessels  lying  next  to  us  and  put  out  to  sea.  The  bat- 
teries blazed  away  at  us,  and  it  was  not  very  pleasant  till  we 
got  outside  their  range.  They  did  not  do  us  very  much 
damage.  Two  gun-boats  came  out  after  us,  but  the  brig 
beat  them  back,  and  we  helped." 

"Who  were  we?"  Captain  O'Halloran  asked. 

"We  were  the  prizes,  of  course.  I  was  in  command  of 
one." 


234  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

"Hooray,  Bob!"  Gerald  exclaimed  with  a  great  laugh, 
while  Carrie  uttered  an  exclamation  of  horror. 

"Well,  you  see,  the  second-mate  had  been  sent  off  in  the 
first  prize,  and  there  was  only  Joe  Lockett  and  me;  so  he 
took  the  biggest  of  the  two  ships  we  cut  out,  and  the  captain 
put  me  in  command  of  the  men  that  took  the  other.  I  had 
the  boatswain  with  me,  and,  of  course,  he  was  the  man  who 
really  commanded  in  getting  up  the  sails  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing.  He  was  killed  by  a  shot  from  the  battery,  and 
was  the  only  man  hit  on  our  vessel,  but  there  were  five 
killed  on  board  the  brig  in  the  fight  with  the  gun-boats. 
We  fell  in  with  the  Brilliant  on  the  way  back,  and  I  went 
on  board;  and  you  should  have  seen  how  Jim  Sankey 
opened  his  eyes  when  I  said  that  I  was  in  command  of  the 
prize.  They  are  awfully  good  prizes  too,  I  can  tell  you. 
The  one  I  got  is  laden  with  wine;  and  the  big  one  was  a 
barque  from  Lima,  with  hides,  and  two  hundred  tons  of 
lead  and  fifty  boxes  of  silver — about  thirty-three  thousand 
pounds'  worth.  Just  think  of  that !  The  captain  said  she 
was  worth  altogether  at  least  forty  thousand  pounds.  That 
is  something  like  a  prize,  isn't  it?  " 

"Yes,  that  is.  What  do  you  think,  Carrie?  I  propose 
that  I  sell  my  commission,  raise  as  much  as  I  can  get  on  the 
old  place  in  Ireland,  and  fit  out  a  privateer.  Bob  will,  of 
course,  be  captain,  you  shall  be  first-mate,  and  I  will  be 
content  with  second-mate's  berth;  and  we  will  sail  the  salt 
ocean,  and  pick  up  our  forty-thousand-pound  prizes." 

"  Oh,  what  nonsense  you  do  talk,  to  be  sure,  Gerald ! 
Just  when  Bob's  news  is  so  interesting  too." 

"I  have  told  all  my  news,  Carrie;  now  I  want  to  hear 
yours.  The  Spaniards  haven't  began  to  batter  down  the 
Rock  yet?  " 

"We  have  been  very  quiet,  Bob.  On  the  nth  a  great 
convoy  of  about  sixty  sail,  protected  by  five  xebecs  of 
from  twenty  to  thirty  guns  each,  came  along.  They  must 
have  come  out  from  Malaga  the  very  night  you  passed  there. 


A    RICH    PRIZE.  235 

They  were  taking  supplies  for  the  use  of  the  Spanish  fleet; 
and  the  privateers  captured  three  or  four  small  craft,  and 
the  Panther,  the  Enterprise,  and  the  Childers  were  kept  at 
their  anchor  all  day.  Why,  no  one  but  the  admiral  could 
say.  We  were  all  very  much  disappointed,  for  everyone 
expected  to  see  pretty  nearly  all  the  Spanish  vessels  brought 
in." 

"Yes,"  Captain  O'Halloran said,  "it  has  caused  a  deal  of 
talk,  I  can  tell  you.  The  navy  were  furious.  There  they 
were,  sixty  vessels  all  laden  with  the  very  things  we  wanted, 
pretty  well  becalmed,  not  more  than  a  mile  off  Europa 
Point,  with  our  batteries  banging  away  at  them,  and  nothing 
in  the  world  to  hinder  the  Panther  and  the  frigates  from 
fetching  them  all  in.  Half  the  town  were  out  on  the  hill, 
and  every  soul  who  could  get  off  duty  at  the  Point,  and 
there  was  the  admiral  wasting  the  whole  mortal  day  in 
trying  to  make  up  his  mind.  If  you  had  heard  the  bad 
language  that  was  used  in  relation  to  that  old  gentleman, 
it  would  have  made  your  hair  stand  on  end.  Of  course, 
just  as  it  got  dark  the  ships-of-war  started,  and  equally  of 
course  the  convoy  all  got  away  in  the  dark,  except  six 
bits  of  prizes  which  were  brought  in  in  the  morning.  We 
have  heard  since,  that  it  was  on  purpose  to  protect  this 
valuable  fleet  that  the  Spanish  squadron  arrived  before  you 
went  away;  but  as  it  didn't  turn  up  the  squadron  went  off 
again,  and  we  had  nothing  to  do  but  just  to  pick  it  up." 

After  breakfast  Captain  O'Halloran  went  off  with  Bob  to 
the  Antelope.  He  found  all  hands  busy  bending  on  sails  in 
place  of  those  that  had  been  damaged,  taking  those  of  the 
brig  first  captured  for  the  purpose." 

"They  fit  very  well,"  Joe  Lockett  said,  "and  we  have 
not  time  to  lose.  We  sail  again  this  afternoon.  The  cap- 
tain says  there  is  nothing  to  prevent  our  going  out  now,  and 
as  the  Spanish  squadron  may  be  back  any  day,  we  might 
have  to  run  the  gauntlet  to  get  out  if  we  lost  the  present 
chance.     So  he  is  not  going  to  waste  an  hour.     Crofts  has 


236  HELD    FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

already  sold  the  grain  and  discharged  it;  the  hull  is  worth 
but  little,  and  the  captain  has  sold  her  as  she  stands  to  a 
trader  for  two  hundred  pounds.  I  expect  he  has  bought  her 
to  break  up  for  firewood  if  the  siege  goes  on.  If  it  doesn't 
he  will  sell  her  again  afterwards  at  a  good  profit.  Of  course 
it  is  a  ridiculous  price;  but  the  captain  wanted  to  get  her 
off  his  hands,  and  would  have  taken  a  ten-pound  note  rather 
than  be  bothered  with  her.  So  by  to-night  we  shall  be  across 
at  Ceuta,  and  if  the  wind  holds  east  but  another  day  we 
shall  be  through  the  Straits  on  our  way  home.  They  are 
going  to  shift  two  of  our  iS-pounders  on  board  the  barque, 
and  I  am  going  to  command  her,  and  to  have  fifteen  men  on 
board.  Crofts  commands  the  polacre  with  ten  men;  the 
rest,  of  course  go  in  the  brig.  We  shall  keep  together,  and 
steer  well  out  west  into  the  Atlantic,  so  as  to  give  as  wide  a 
berth  as  possible  to  Spaniards  and  Frenchmen.  If  we  meet 
with  a  privateer  we  ought  to  be  able  to  give  a  good  account 
of  him;  if  we  run  across  a  frigate  we  shall  scatter;  and  it 
will  be  hard  luck  if  we  don't  manage  to  get  two  out  of  the 
three  craft  into  port.  We  have  been  shifting  some  more  of 
the  silver  again  this  morning  from  the  barque  into  the  other 
two  vessels,  otherwise,  as  she  has  the  lead  on  board,  she 
would  be  the  most  valuable  prize.  As  it  is,  now  the  three 
are  of  about  equal  value." 

"Well,  we  wish  you  a  pleasant  voyage,"  Captain  O'Hal- 
loran  said.  "  I  suppose  we  shall  see  you  back  again  before 
long." 

"  Yes,  I  should  think  so;  but  I  don't  know  what  the  cap- 
tain means  to  do.  We  have  had  no  time  to  talk  this  morn- 
ing. I  daresay  you  will  meet  him  on  shore;  he  has  gone  to 
the  post-office  to  get  his  papers  signed.  We  have  been  quite 
pestered  this  morning  by  men  coming  on  board  to  buy  wine 
out  of  the  polacre,  but  the  captain  wouldn't  have  the  hatches 
taken  off.  The  Spaniards  may  turn  up  at  any  moment,  and 
it  is  of  the  greatest  importance  our  getting  off  while  the 
coast  is  clear.     It  is  most  unfortunate  now  that  we  did  not 


A    RICH   PRIZE.  237 

run  straight  in  yesterday,  instead  of  laying-to  to  wait  for 
night." 

They  did  not  meet  the  captain  in  the  town;  and  from  the 
roof  Bob  saw  the  three  vessels  get  up  sail  early  in  the  after- 
noon and  make  across  for  the  African  coast.  The  doctor 
came  in  in  the  evening. 

"Well,  Bob,  so  I  hear  you  have  been  fighting  and  com- 
manding ships  and  doing  all  sorts  of  things.  I  saw  Captain 
Lockett  in  the  town,  and  faith  if  you  had  been  a  dozen 
admirals  rolled  into  one  he  couldn't  have  spoken  more 
highly  of  you.  It  seems,  Mrs.  O'Halloran,  that  Bob  has 
been  the  special  angel  who  has  looked  after  poor  Jack  on 
board  the  Antelope.'" 

"What  ridiculous  nonsense,  doctor!"  Bob  exclaimed 
hotly. 

"Not  at  all,  Bob;  it  is  too  modest  you  are  entirely.  It 
is  yourself  is  the  boy  who  has  done  the  business  this  time, 
and  it  is  a  silver  tay-service,  or  some  such  trifle  as  that,  that 
the  owners  will  be  sending  you;  and  small  blame  to  them. 
Captain  Lockett  tells  me  he  owns  a  third  of  the  ship,  and 
he  reckons  the  ship's  share  of  what  they  have  taken  this 
little  cruise  won't  be  less  than  five-and-twenty  thousand. 
Think  of  that,  Mrs.  O'Halloran,  five-and-twenty  thousand 
pounds !  and  here  is  Edward  Burke,  M.D.,  working  his  sowl 
out  for  a  miserable  eight  or  ten  shillings  a  day." 

"But  what  has  Bob  done?  " 

"I  hadn't  time  to  learn  it  all,  Mrs.  O'Halloran,  for  the 
captain  was  in  a  hurry.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  question 
ought  to  be,  what  is  it  that  he  hasn't  done?  It  all  came 
in  a  heap  together,  and  I  am  not  sure  of  the  exact 
particulars;  but  it  seems  to  me  that  he  swam  out  and 
cut  the  cable  of  a  Spanish  sloop  of  war,  and  took  the  end  in 
his  mouth  and  towed  her  out  to  sea,  while  the  guns  were 
blazing  in  all  directions  at  him.  Never  was  such  an  affair ! 
Then  he  humbugged  the  captain  of  an  English  frigate,  and 
the  commander  of  the  Spanish  forts,  and  stole  a  vessel  chock- 
full  of  silver,  and  did  I  don't  know  what  besides." 


238  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

Bob  went  off  into  a  shout  of  laughter,  in  which  the  others 
joined. 

"But  what  is  the  meaning  of  all  this  nonsense,  Teddy?  " 
Carrie  asked  as  soon  as  she  recovered  her  composure. 
"Is  there  anything  in  it,  or  is  it  all  pure  invention?" 

"Is  there  anything  in  it!  Haven't  I  been  telling  you 
that  there  is  twenty-five  thousand  pounds  in  it  to  the  owners, 
and  as  much  more  to  the  crew,  and  didn't  the  captain  vow 
and  declare  that  if  it  hadn't  been  for  Bob,  instead  of  going 
home  to  divide  all  this  treasure  up  between  them,  every 
man-Jack  of  them  would  be  at  this  moment  chained  by  the 
leg  in  a  dirty  Spanish  prison  at  Malaga!  " 

"Well,  what  does  it  all  mean,  Bob?  There  is  no  getting 
any  sense  out  of  Dr.  Burke." 

"It  is  exactly  what  I  told  you,  Carrie.  We  anchored 
close  to  a  craft  that  we  thought  was  a  merchantman,  and 
that  we  meant  to  attack  in  our  boats.  I  swam  on  board  her 
in  the  dark,  to  see  if  they  were  keeping  a  good  watch  and 
that  sort  of  thing,  and  when  I  got  on  board  I  found  she  was 
a  ship-of-war,  with  a  lot  of  heavy  guns,  and  prepared  to  take 
us  by  surprise  when  we  attacked  her;  so  of  course  when  I 
swam  back  again  with  the  news,  Captain  Lockett  cut  his 
cable  and  towed  the  brig  out  in  the  dark.  As  to  the  other 
affair  that  the  doctor  is  talking  about,  I  told  you  that  too, 
and  it  is  exactly  as  I  said  it  was.  The  only  thing  I  had  to 
do  with  it,  was  that  it  happened  to  be  my  idea  to  keep  the 
Spanish  colours  flying  and  let  the  frigate  keep  on  firing  at 
us.  The  idea  turned  out  well;  but  of  course  if  I  had  not 
thought  of  it  somebody  else  would;  so  there  was  nothing  in 
it  at  all." 

"Well,  Bob,  you  may  say  what  you  like,"  Doctor  Burke 
said;  "but  it  is  quite  evident  that  the  captain  thought  there 
was  a  good  deal  in  it,  and  I  think  really,  Gerald,  that  you 
and  Mrs.  O'Halloran  have  good  reason  to  feel  quite  proud 
of  him.  I  am  not  joking  at  all  when  I  say  that  Captain 
Lockett  really  spoke  as  if  he  considered  that  the  good  for- 


A    RICH    PRIZE.  239 

tune  they  had  had  is  very  largely  due  to  him.  He  said  he 
hoped  he  should  have  Bob  on  board  for  another  cruise." 

"I  certainly  shall  not  go  any  more  with  him,"  Bob  said 
indignantly,  "  if  he  talks  such  nonsense  about  me  afterwards. 
As  if  there  was  anything  in  swimming  two  or  three  hundred 
■yards  on  a  dark  night,  or  in  suggesting  the  keeping  a  flag 
up  instead  of  pulling  it  down." 

When  the  Brilliant,  however,  came  in  two  days  later, 
Captain  Langton  called  upon  Mrs.  O'Halloran,  and  told  her 
that  he  did  so  in  order  to  acquaint  her  with  the  extremely 
favourable  report  Captain  Lockett  had  made  to  him  of  Bob's 
conduct,  and  that  from  what  he  had  said,  it  was  evident 
that  the  lad  had  shown  great  courage  in  undertaking  the 
swim  to  the  Spanish  vessel,  and  much  promptness  and  ready 
wit  in  suggesting  the  device  that  had  deceived  him  as  well 
as  the  Spaniards. 

Captain  Langton  told  the  story  that  evening  at  General 
Eliott's  dinner-table,  and  said  that  although  it  was  certainly 
a  good  joke  against  himself,  that  he  should  have  thus  assisted 
a  privateer  to  carry  off  two  valuable  prizes  that  had  slipped 
through  the  frigate's  hands,  the  story  was  too  good  not  to 
be  told.  Thus  Bob's  exploit  became  generally  known 
among  the  officers  of  the  garrison,  and  Captain  O'Halloran 
was  warmly  congratulated  upon  the  sharpness  and  pluck  of 
his  young  brother-in-law. 

Captain  Lockett' s  decision  to  be  off  without  any  delay  was 
fully  justified  by  the  appearance  of  a  Spanish  squadron  in 
the  bay  three  days  after  his  departure.  It  consisted  of  two 
seventy-fours,  two  frigates,  five  xebecs,  and  a  number  of 
galleys  and  small  armed  vessels.  The  men-of-war  anchored 
off  Algeciras,  while  the  rest  of  the  squadron  kept  a  vigilant 
patrol  at  the  mouth  of  the  bay,  and  formed  a  complete 
blockade.  Towards  the  end  of  the  month  the  troops  were 
delighted  by  the  issue  of  an  order  that  the  use  of  powder 
for  the  hair  was  henceforth  to  be  abandoned. 

Vessels  were  now  continually  arriving  from  Algeciras  with 


240  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

troops  and  stores,  and  on  the  26th  the  Spaniards  began  to 
form  a  camp  on  the  plain  below  San  Roque,  three  miles 
from  the  garrison.  This  increased  in  size  daily  as  fresh 
regiments  arrived  by  land.  Orders  were  now  issued  that  all 
horses  in  the  garrison,  except  those  whose  owners  had  a 
store  of  at  least  one  thousand  pounds  of  grain,  were  either 
to  be  shot  or  turned  out  through  the  gates. 

There  was  much  excitement  when  two  Dutch  vessels,  laden 
with  rice  and  dried  fruit,  made  their  way  in  at  night  through 
the  enemy's  cruisers.  Their  cargoes  were  purchased  for  the 
troops,  and  these  vessels,  and  a  Venetian  that  had  also  got 
through,  carried  off  with  them  a  large  number  of  Jewish, 
Genoese,  and  other  traders,  with  their  families,  to  ports  in 
Barbary  or  Portugal.  Indeed  from  this  time  every  vessel 
that  went  out  carried  away  some  of  the  inhabitants. 

The  position  of  these  poor  people  was  indeed  serious. 
The  standing  order  on  the  Rock  was,  that  every  inhabitant, 
even  in  time  of  peace,  should  have  in  store  six  months' 
provisions;  but  the  order  had  never  been  enforced,  and  few 
of  them  had  any  supplies  of  consequence.  As  they  could  not 
expect  to  be  supplied  from  the  garrison  stores,  the  greater 
number  had  no  resource  but  to  leave  the  place.  Some,  how- 
ever, who  were  better  provided,  obtained  leave  to  erect 
wooden  huts  at  the  southern  end  of  the  Rock,  so  as  to  have 
a  place  of  shelter  to  remove  to  in  case  the  enemy  bombarded 
the  town. 

The  Spaniards  had  by  this  time  mounted  their  cannon 
in  forts  St.  Philip  and  St.  Barbara.  Vast  quantities  of  stores 
were  landed  at  Point  Mala,  at  the  end  of  the  bay.  Some 
fifteen  thousand  men  were  under  canvas  in  their  camp,  and 
strong  parties  were  constantly  employed  in  erecting  works 
near  their  forts.  The  garrison  on  their  side  were  continu- 
ally strengthening  and  adding  to  their  batteries,  erecting 
palisades  and  traverses,  filling  the  magazines  in  the  works, 
and  preparing  for  an  attack;  and  on  the  nth  of  September 
some  of  the  guns  were  opened  upon  the  enemy's  working 
parties,  and  for  a  time  compelled  them  to  desist. 


A    RICH    PRIZE.  241 

From  the  upper  batteries  on  the  Rock  a  complete  view 
was  obtainable  of  all  the  enemy's  operations,  and  as  they 
were  seen  to  be  raising  mortar  batteries,  preparations  were 
made  to  diminish  the  effects  of  a  bombardment  of  the  town. 
For  this  purpose  the  pavement  of  the  streets  was  removed 
and  the  ground  ploughed  up,  the  towers  and  most  con- 
spicuous buildings  taken  down,  and  traverses  carried  across 
the  streets  to  permit  communications  to  be  carried  on..  Early 
in  October  the  Engineers  and  Artillery  managed  with  im- 
mense labour  to  mount  a  gun  on  the  summit  of  the  Rock, 
and  as  from  this  point  an  almost  bird's-eye  view  was 
obtained  of  the  Spanish  works,  the  fire  of  the  gun  annoyed 
them  greatly  at  their  work.  This  was  maintained,  however, 
steadily;  but  in  spite  of  this  interference  with  their  opera- 
tions, the  Spaniards  on  the  20th  of  October  opened  thirty- 
five  embrasures,  in  three  batteries  in  a  line  between  their 
two  forts. 

Provisions  of  every  kind  were  now  becoming  very  dear, 
fresh  meat  was  from  three  to  four  shillings  a  pound,  chickens 
twelve  shillings  a  couple,  ducks  from  fourteen  to  eighteen. 

Fish  was  equally  dear,  and  vegetables  hardly  to  be  bought 
at  any  price.  Flour  was  running  very  short,  and  rice  was 
served  out  instead  of  it. 

On  the  14th  of  November  the  privateer  Buck,  armed  with 
twenty-four  9-pounders,  was  seen  making  into  the  bay.  Two 
Spanish  ships  of  the  line,  a  frigate,  two  xebecs,  and  twenty- 
one  small  craft  set  out  to  intercept  her.  The  cutter,  seeing 
a  whole  Spanish  squadron  coming  out,  tacked  and  stood 
across  towards  the  Barbary  shore,  pursued  by  the  Spaniards. 
The  wind  was  from  the  west,  but  the  cutter,  lying  close- 
hauled,  was  able  just  to  stem  the  current  and  hold  her  posi- 
tion; while  the  Spaniards,  being  square-rigged,  and  so 
unable  to  stand  near  the  wind,  drifted  bodily  away  to  lee- 
ward with  the  current,  but  the  two  men-of-war,  perceiving 
what  was  happening,  managed  to  make  back  into  the  bay. 

As  soon  as  the  privateer  saw  the  rest  of  the  squadron 


242  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

drift  away  to  leeward,  she  again  headed  for  the  Rock.  The 
Spanish  admiral,  Barcelo,  in  a  seventy-four  gun-ship,  endea- 
voured to  cut  her  off,  firing  two  broadsides  of  grape  and 
round  shot  at  her,  but  with  the  other  man-of-war  was  com- 
pelled to  retire  by  the  batteries  at  Europa,  and  the  cutter 
made  her  way  in  triumphantly,  insultingly  returning  the 
Spanish  admiral's  fire  with  her  two  little  stern  guns.  The 
Spanish  men-of-war  drifted  away  after  their  small  craft, 
and  thus  for  the  time  the  port  was  open  again,  thanks  to 
the  pluck  of  the  little  privateer,  which  had,  it  was  found  on 
her  arrival,  been  some  time  at  sea,  and  simply  came  in  to 
get  provisions. 

As  it  could  be  seen  from  the  African  coast  that  the  port 
was  again  open,  two  or  three  small  craft  came  across  with 
bullocks  and  sheep.  Four  days  later,  the  wind  veering 
round  to  the  southward,  Admiral  Barcelo  with  his  fleet 
returned  to  the  bay,  and  the  blockade  was  renewed. 

Already  Captain  O'Halloran  and  his  wife  had  the  most 
ample  reasons  for  congratulating  themselves  that  they  had 
taken  Dr.  Burke's  advice  in  the  matter  of  vegetables  and 
fowls.  The  little  garden  on  the  roof  was  the  envy  of  all 
Carrie's  female  friends,  many  of  whom  indeed  began  imita- 
tions of  it  on  a  small  scale.  Under  the  hot  sun,  and  with 
careful  watering,  everything  made  astonishing  progress. 
The  cutting  of  the  mustard  and  cress  had  of  course  begun  in 
a  little  more  than  a  week  from  the  time  when  the  garden  had 
been  completed  and  the  seeds  sown.  The  radishes  were  fit 
for  pulling  three  weeks  later,  and  as  constant  successions 
were  sown,  they  had  been  amply  supplied  with  an  abundance 
of  salad;  and  each  morning  a  trader  in  town  came  up  and 
took  all  that  they  could  spare,  at  prices  that  would,  before 
the  siege  began,  have  appeared  fabulous.  Along  the  edge 
of  the  parapet,  and  trailing  over  almost  to  the  ground, 
covering  the  house  in  a  bower  of  rich  green  foliage,  the 
melons,  cucumbers,  and  pumpkins  blossomed  and  fruited 
luxuriantly,  and  for  these  prices  were  obtained  as  high  as 


A    RICH    PRIZE.  243 

those  that  the  fruit  would  fetch  in  Covent  Garden  when  out 
of  season.  But  as  melons,  cucumbers,  and  pumpkins  alike 
produce  great  quantities  of  seed,  by  the  end  of  the  year  they 
were  being  grown  on  a  considerable  scale,  by  all  who  pos- 
sessed any  facilities  for  cultivating  them. 

Later  on,  indeed,  the  governor,  hearing  from  the  princi- 
pal medical  officer  how  successful  Captain  O'Halloran  had 
been,  issued  an  order  recommending  all  inhabitants  to  grow 
vegetables,  and  granting  them  every  facility  for  so  doing. 
All  who  chose  to  do  so  were  allowed  to  fence  in  any  little 
patches  of  earth  they  could  discover  among  the  rocks  or 
on  unused  ground,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the  poorer 
inhabitants  spent  much  of  their  time  in  collecting  earth  and 
establishing  little  garden  plots,  or  in  doing  so  for  persons 
who  could  afford  to  pay  for  their  labour. 

The  poultry  venture  was  equally  satisfactory.  Already  a 
considerable  piece  of  rough  and  rocky  ground  next  to  the 
garden  had  been  enclosed,  thereby  affording  a  much  larger 
run  for  the  fowls,  and  enabling  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
garden  to  be  devoted  to  the  young  broods. 

The  damaged  biscuits  had  been  sold  at  a  few  shillings 
a  ton,  and  at  this  price  Captain  O'Halloran  had  bought  the 
whole  of  the  condemned  lot,  amounting  to  about  ten  tons; 
and  there  was  consequently  an  ample  supply  of  food  for 
them  for  an  almost  indefinite  time.  After  supplying  the 
house  amply,  there  were  at  least  a  hundred  eggs  a  day  to 
sell;  and  Carrie,  who  now  took  an  immense  interest  in  the 
poultry-yard,  calculated  that  they  could  dispose  of  ten 
couple  a  week,  and  still  keep  up  their  number  from  the  young 
broods. 

"The  only  thing  you  have  to  be  afraid  of  is  disease, 
Mrs.  O'Halloran,"  the  doctor,  who  was  her  greatest  adviser, 
said;  "but  there  is  little  risk  of  that.  Besides,  you  have 
only  to  hire  one  or  two  lads  of  ten  or  twelve  years  old,  and 
then  you  can  put  them  out  when  you  like  from  the  farther 
inclosure,  and  let  them  wander  about." 


244  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

"But  people  don't  generally  watch  fowls,"  Mrs.  O'Hal- 
loran  said.  "  Surely  they  would  come  back  at  night  to 
roost." 

"I  have  no  doubt  they  would;  when  chickens  are  well 
fed  they  can  be  trusted  to  find  their  way  home  at  night.  But 
you  must  remember  that  they  are  worth  from  twelve  to 
fourteen  shillings  a  couple,  and  what  with  the  natives  and 
what  with  soldiers  off  duty,  you  would  find  that  a  good  many 
would  not  turn  up  at  all  unless  they  were  watched.  A 
couple  of  boys  at  sixpence  a  day  each  would  keep  them  from 
straying  too  far  and  prevent  their  being  stolen,  and  would 
relieve  you  of  a  lot  of  anxiety  about  them." 

So  after  this  the  fowls  were  turned  out  on  to  the  Rock, 
where  they  wandered  about,  narrowly  watched  by  two 
native  boys,  and  were  able  to  gather  no  small  store  of  sus- 
tenance from  the  insects  they  found  among  the  rocks  or  on 
the  low  shrubs  that  grew  among  them. 

Bob  had,  after  his  return  from  his  cruise,  fallen  into  his 
former  habits,  spending  two  hours  every  morning  with  Don 
Diaz,  and  reading  for  an  hour  or  two  in  the  evening  with 
the  doctor.  It  was  now  cool  enough  for  exercise  and  enjoy- 
ment in  the  day,  and  there  were  few  afternoons  when  he  did 
not  climb  up  to  the  top  of  the  Rock  and  watch  the  Spanish 
soldiers  labouring  at  their  batteries,  and  wondering  when 
they  were  going  to  begin  to  do  something.  Occasionally 
they  obtained  news  of  what  was  passing  in  the  enemy's 
lines,  and  the  Spaniards  were  equally  well  informed  of  what 
was  going  on  in  the  fortress,  for  desertions  from  both  sides 
were  not  infrequent.  Sometimes  a  soldier  with  the  working 
parties  out  in  the  neutral  ground  would  steal  away  and  make 
for  the  Spanish  lines,  pursued  by  a  musketry  fire  from  his 
comrades,  and  saluted  perhaps  with  a  round  or  two  of  shot 
from  the  batteries  above.  But  more  frequently  they  made 
their  escape  from  the  back  of  the  Rock,  letting  themselves 
down  by  ropes,  although  at  least  half  the  number  who  made 
the  attempt  were  dashed  to  pieces  among  the  precipices. 


A    RICH   PRIZE.  245 

The  majority  of  the  deserters  belonged  to  the  Hanoverian 
regiments,  but  a  good  many  British  soldiers  also  deserted. 
In  all  cases  these  were  reckless  men  who,  having  been  pun- 
ished for  some  offence  or  other,  preferred  risking  death  to 
remaining  in  the  garrison.  Some  were  caught  in  the  at- 
tempt, while  several  by  getting  into  places  where  they  could 
neither  descend  further  nor  return,  were  compelled  at  last  by 
hunger  and  thirst  to  shout  for  assistance,  preferring  death 
by  hanging  to  the  slower  agony  of  thirst.  The  deserters 
from  the  Spanish  lines  principally  belonged  to  the  Walloon 
regiments  in  the  Spanish  service,  or  to  regiments  from  Bis- 
caya  and  other  northern  provinces.  The  troops  were 
raised  on  the  principle  of  our  own  militia,  and  objected 
strongly  to  service  outside  their  own  provinces;  and  it  was 
this  discontent  that  gave  rise  to  their  desertions  to  us. 

Some  of  them  made  their  way  at  night  from  the  works 
where  they  were  employed,  through  the  lines  of  sentries; 
others  took  to  the  water,  either  beyond  Fort  Barbara  or  at 
the  head  of  the  bay,  and  reached  our  lines  by  swimming. 

Bob  heartily  congratulated  himself,  when  he  heard  of  the 
fate  of  some  of  the  deserters  who  tried  to  make  their  way 
down  at  the  back  of  the  Rock,  that  he  and  Jim  Sankey  had 
not  carried  out  their  scheme  of  descending  there  in  search  of 
birds.  By  this  time  he  had  come  to  know  most  of  the 
young  officers  of  the  garrison,  and  although  the  time  passed 
without  any  marked  events,  he  had  plenty  of  occupation 
and  amusement.  Sometimes  they  would  get  up  fishing 
parties,  and  although  they  could  not  venture  very  far  from 
the  Rock  on  account  of  the  enemy's  galleys  and  row-boats, 
they  had  a  good  deal  of  sport,  and  fish  were  welcome  addi- 
tions to  the  food,  which  consisted  principally  of  salt  rations, 
for  Bob  very  soon  tired  of  a  diet  of  chicken. 

There  were  some  very  heavy  rains  in  the  last  week  of  the 
year;  these,  they  learned  from  deserters,  greatly  damaged 
the  enemy's  lines,  filling  their  trenches  and  washing  down 
their  banks.     One  advantage  was  that  a  great  quantity  of 


246  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

wood,  cork,  and  other  floating  rubbish  was  washed  down  by 
the  rain  into  the  two  rivers  that  fell  into  the  bay,  and  as 
the  wind  was  from  the  south  this  was  all  blown  over  towards 
the  Rock,  where  it  was  collected  by  boats,  affording  a  most 
welcome  supply  of  fuel,  which  had  been  for  some  time 
extremely  scarce. 

On  the  8th  of  January  a  Neapolitan  polacre  was  driven  in 
under  the  guns  by  the  wind  from  the  other  side  of  the  bay 
and  was  obliged  to  drop  anchor.  Six  thousand  bushels  of 
barley  were  found  on  board  her,  which  was  of  inestimable 
value  to  the  inhabitants,  who  were  now  suffering  extremely, 
as  were  also  the  wives  and  children  of  the  soldiers,  whose 
rations,  scanty  for  one,  were  wholly  insufficient  for  the 
wants  of  a  family.  Fowls  had  now  risen  to  eighteen  shil- 
lings a  couple,  eggs  were  sixpence  each,  and  small  cabbages 
fetched  eighteenpence. 

On  the  1 2th  the  enemy  fired  ten  shots  into  the  town  from 
Fort  St.  Philip,  causing  a  panic  among  the  inhabitants, 
who  at  once  began  to  remove  to  their  huts  at  the  other  end 
of  the  Rock.  A  woman  was  wounded  by  a  splinter  of  stone 
from  one  of  the  houses,  being  the  first  casualty  that  had  taken 
place  through  the  siege.  The  next  day  the  admiral  gave 
orders  to  the  men-of-war  that  they  should  be  in  readiness  in 
case  a  convoy  appeared,  to  afford  protection  to  any  ships 
that  might  attempt  to  come  in.  This  order  caused  great 
joy  among  the  garrison  and  inhabitants,  as  it  seemed  to  sig- 
nify that  the  governor  had  received  information  in  some 
manner  that  a  convoy  was  on  its  way  out  to  relieve  the  town. 

Two  days  later  a  brig  that  was  seen  passing  through  the 
Straits  to  the  east  suddenly  changed  her  course  and  made 
for  the  Rock,  and  although  the  enemy  tried  to  cut  her  off  she 
succeeded  in  getting  into  port.  The  welcome  news  soon 
spread  that  the  brig  was  one  of  a  large  convoy  that  had 
sailed  late  in  December  for  the  relief  of  the  town.  She 
had  parted  company  with  the  others  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay, 
and  on  her  way  had  seen  a  Spanish  squadron  off  Cadiz, 


A   RICH   PRIZE.  247 

which  was  supposed  to  be  watching  for  the  convoy.  This 
caused  much  anxiety,  but  on  the  16th  a  brig  laden  with 
flour  arrived  with  the  news  that  Sir  George  Rodney  had 
captured  off  the  coast  of  Portugal  six  Spanish  frigates,  with 
seventeen  merchantmen  on  their  way  from  Bilbao  to  Cadiz, 
and  that  he  had  with  him  a  fleet  of  twenty-one  sail  of  the 
line  and  a  large  convoy  of  merchantmen  and  transports. 

The  next  day  one  of  the  prizes  came  in,  and  the  midship- 
man in  charge  of  her  reported  that  when  he  had  left  the 
convoy  on  the  previous  day,  a  battle  was  going  on  between 
the  British  fleet  and  the  Spanish  squadron.  Late  in  the 
evening  the  convoy  was  in  sight,  and  the  Apollo  frigate  and 
one  or  two  merchantmen  got  in  after  dark  with  the  news 
that  the  Spaniards  had  been  completely  defeated,  their 
admiral's  flag-ship  with  three  others  captured,  one  blown 
up  in  the  engagement,  another  driven  ashore,  and  the  rest 
dispersed.  The  preparations  for  relieving  the  town  had 
been  so  well  concealed  that  the  Spaniards  had  believed  that 
the  British  men-of-war  were  destined  for  the  West  Indies, 
and  had  thought  that  the  merchantmen  would  have  fallen 
easy  prizes  to  their  squadron,  which  consisted  of  eleven 
men-of-war. 


9Tft 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


ORANGES  AND   LEMONS. 


THERE  was  great  anxiety  in  Gibraltar  that  night,  for  the 
wind  was  very  light  and  from  the  wrong  direction,  and 
in  the  morning  it  was  seen  that  the  greater  portion  of  the 
convoy  had  drifted  far  away  to  the  east.  Soon  after  noon, 
however,  the  Edgar  managed  to  get  in  with  the  Spanish 
admiral's  flag-ship  the  Phoenix,  of  eighty  guns;  and  in  the 
evening  the  Prince  George,  with  eleven  or  twelve  ships, 
worked  in  round  Europa  Point;  but  Admiral  Rodney,  with 
the  main  body  of  the  fleet  and  the  prizes,  was  forced  to 
anchor  off  Marbella,  a  Spanish  town,  fifteen  leagues  east  of 
Gibraltar.  It  was  not  until  seven  or  eight  days  later  that 
the  whole  of  the  fleet  and  convoy  arrived  in  the  port. 

On  the  29th  a  transport  came  in  with  the  2d  battalion  of 
the  73d  Regiment,  with  944  rank  and  file.  A  large  number 
of  heavy  cannon  from  the  prizes  were  landed,  and  several 
hundreds  of  barrels  of  powder  in  addition  to  those 
brought  out  with  the  convoy.  Great  stores  of  salt  provi- 
sions and  supplies  of  flour  had  been  brought  out,  but 
unfortunately  little  could  be  done  towards  providing 
the  garrison  with  a  supply  of  fresh  meat.  Had  Admiral 
Rodney  been  able  to  remain  with  his  fleet  at  Gib- 
raltar, supplies  could  have  been  brought  across  from  the 
African  coast,  but  the  British  fleet  was  required  elsewhere, 
and  the  relief  afforded  was  a  temporary  one.  The  garrison 
was,  however,  relieved  by  a  large  number  of  the  soldiers' 
wives  and  children  being  put  on  board  the  merchantmen 


ORANGES  AND  LEMONS.  249 

and  sent  home  to  England;  many  of  the  poor  inhabi- 
tants were  also  taken  either  to  Barbary  or  Portugal. 

While  the  fleet  were  in  port  the  Spanish  blockading 
squadron  was  moored  close  under  the  guns  of  Algeciras, 
and  booms  were  laid  round  them  to  prevent  their  being 
attacked  by  the  boats  of  the  British  fleet.  An  opportunity 
was  taken  of  the  presence  of  the  Spanish  admiral  in  Gib- 
raltar to  arrange  for  an  exchange  of  prisoners,  and  on  the 
13th  of  February,  the  fleet  sailed  away,  and  the  blockade 
was  renewed  by  the  Spaniards. 

After  the  departure  of  the  fleet  many  months  passed 
monotonously.  The  enemy  were  ever  increasing  and 
strengthening  their  works,  which  now  mounted  a  great  num- 
ber of  cannon;  but  beyond  an  occasional  interchange  of  a 
few  shots,  hostilities  were  carried  on  languidly. 

The  enemy  made  two  endeavours  to  burn  the  British  ves- 
sels anchored  under  the  guns  of  the  batteries,  by  sending  fire- 
ships  down  upon  them;  but  the  crews  of  the  ships-of-war 
manned  the  boats,  and  going  out  to  meet  them,  towed  them 
ashore,  where  they  burned  out  without  doing  damage,  and 
the  hulls  being  broken  up  afforded  a  welcome  supply  of 
fuel.  The  want  of  fresh  meat  and  vegetables  operated  dis- 
astrously upon  the  garrison;  even  before  the  arrival  of  the 
relieving  fleet  scurvy  had  shown  itself,  and  its  ravages  con- 
tinued and  extended  as  months  went  on.  The  hospitals 
became  crowded  with  sufferers;  a  third  of  the  force  being 
unfit  for  any  duty,  while  there  were  few  but  were  more  or 
less  affected  by  it. 

As  soon  as  it  became  severe,  Captain  O'Halloran  and  his 
wife  decided  to  sell  no  more  vegetables,  but  sent  the  whole 
of  their  supply,  beyond  what  was  needed  for  their  personal 
consumption,  to  the  hospitals. 

During  these  eight  months  only  a  few  small  craft  had 
managed  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  the  enemy's  cruisers,  and 
frequently  for  many  weeks  at  a  time  no  news  of  any  kind 
from  without  reached  the  besieged.     The  small  supplies  of 


250  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

fresh  meat  that  had,  during  the  early  part  of  the  siege,  been 
brought  across  in  small  craft  from  Barbary,  had  for  some- 
time ceased  altogether,  for  the  Moors  of  Tangiers  had, 
under  pressure  of  the  Spaniards,  broken  off  their  alliance 
with  us  and  joined  them,  and  in  consequence  not  only  did 
supplies  cease  to  arrive,  but  English  vessels  entering  the 
Straits  were  no  longer  able  to  anchor  as  they  had  before 
done  under  the  guns  of  the  Moorish  batteries  for  protection 
from  the  Spanish  cruisers. 

Several  times  there  were  discussions  between  Bob,  his 
sister,  and  Captain  O'Halloran,  as  to  whether  it  would  not 
be  better  for  him  to  take  the  first  opportunity  that  offered 
of  returning  to  England.  Their  argument  was  that  he  was 
wasting  his  time,  but  to  this  he  would  not  at  all  agree. 
"  I  am  no  more  wasting  it  here  than  if  I  were  in  Philpot 
Lane,"  he  said.  "  It  will  be  plenty  of  time  for  me  to  begin 
to  learn  the  routine  of  the  business  when  I  am  two-  or  three- 
and-twenty.  Uncle  calculated  I  should  be  four  years  abroad 
learning  the  languages  and  studying  wine.  Well,  I  can 
study  wines  at  any  time;  besides,  after  all,  it  is  the  agents 
out  here  that  choose  them.  I  can  speak  Spanish  now  like  a 
native,  and  there  is  nothing  further  to  be  done  in  that  way; 
I  have  given  up  lessons  now  with  the  doctor,  but  I  get 
plenty  of  books  from  the  garrison  library  and  keep  up  my 
reading;  as  for  society,  we  have  twenty  times  as  much  here 
with  the  officers  and  their  families  as  I  should  have  in 
London,  and  I  really  don't  see  there  would  be  any  advan- 
tage whatever  in  my  going  back.  Something  must  be  done 
here  some  day.  And  after  all,  the  siege  does  not  make 
much  difference  in  any  way,  except  that  we  don't  get  fresh 
meat  for  dinner.  Everything  goes  on  just  the  same,  only, 
I  suppose,  in  peace  time  we  should  make  excursions  some- 
times into  Spain.  The  only  difference  I  can  make  out  is, 
that  I  am  able  to  be  more  useful  to  you  now  with  the  garden 
and  poultry  than  I  could  have  been  if  there  had  been  no 
siege." 


ORANGES  AND  LEMONS.  251 

There  was  indeed  no  lack  of  society.  The  O'Hallorans' 
was  perhaps  the  most  popular  house  on  the  Rock.  They 
were  making  quite  a  large  income  from  their  poultry,  and 
spent  it  freely.  Presents  of  eggs,  chicken,  and  vegetables 
were  constantly  being  sent  to  all  their  friends  where 
there  was  any  sickness  in  the  family;  and  as  even  at  the 
high  prices  prevailing  they  were  able  to  purchase  supplies 
of  wine,  and  such  other  luxuries  as  were  obtainable,  they 
kept  almost  open  house,  and  twice  a  week  had  regular 
gatherings  with  music;  and  the  suppers  were  vastly  more 
appreciated  by  their  guests  than  is  usually  the  case  at  such 
entertainments.  Early  in  September,  when  scurvy  was  still 
raging,  the  doctor  was  one  day  lamenting  the  impossibility 
of  obtaining  oranges  and  lemons. 

"It  makes  one's  heart  ache,"  he  said,  "to  see  the  children 
suffer.  It  is  bad  enough  that  strong  men  should  be  scarcely 
able  to  crawl  about;  but  soldiers  must  take  their  chances, 
whether  they  come  from  shot  or  from  scurvy,  but  it  is 
lamentable  to  see  the  children  fading  away.  We  have  tried 
everything — acids  and  drugs  of  all  sorts — but  nothing  does 
any  good.  As  I  told  you,  I  saw  the  scurvy  on  the  whaling 
trip  I  went,  and  I  am  convinced  that  nothing  but  lemon 
juice,  or  an  absolutely  unlimited  amount  of  vegetables,  will 
do  any  good." 

A  week  previously  a  small  privateer  had  come  in  with 
some  mail  bags  which  she  had  brought  on  from  Lisbon. 
Among  them  was  a  letter  to  Bob  from  the  owners  of  the 
Antelope.  It  had  been  written  months  before,  after  the 
arrival  of  the  brig  and  her  two  prizes  in  England.  It  said 
that  the  two  vessels  and  their  cargoes  had  been  sold  and 
the  prize-money  divided,  and  that  his  share  amounted  to 
three  hundred  and  thirty-two  pounds,  for  which  sum  an 
order  upon  a  firm  of  merchants  at  Gibraltar  was  inclosed. 
The  writers  also  said  that  after  consultation  with  Captain 
Lockett,  from  whom  they  had  heard  of  the  valuable  services 
he  had  rendered,  the  owners  of  the  Antelope  had  decided,  as 


ZOJ  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

a  very  small  mark  of  their  appreciation  and  gratitude,  to 
present  him  with  a  service  of  plate  to  the  value  of  five  hun- 
dred pounds,  and  in  such  form  as  he  might  prefer  on  his 
return  to  England.  He  had  said  nothing  to  his  sister  of 
this  letter,  as  his  intention  was  to  surprise  her  with  some 
present.  But  the  doctor's  words  now  determined  him  to 
carry  into  effect  an  idea  that  had  before  occurred  to  him 
upon  seeing  so  many  sickly  children  among  the  families  of 
the  officers  of  their  acquaintance. 

"Look  here,  doctor,"  he  said,  "I  mean  to  go  out  and  try 
and  get  a  few  boxes  of  oranges  and  lemons;  but  mind, nobody 
but  you  and  I  must  know  anything  about  it." 

"How  on  earth  do  you  mean  to  do  it,  Bob?  " 

"Well,  I  have  not  settled  yet;  but  there  can't  be  any 
difficulty  about  getting  out.  I  might  go  down  to  the  old 
Mole  and  swim  from  there  to  the  head  of  the  bay,  or  I 
might  get  some  of  the  fishermen  to  go  round  the  point  and 
land  me  to  the  east  well  beyond  the  Spanish  lines." 

"You  couldn't  do  that,  Bob;  there  is  too  sharp  a  look-out 
kept  on  the  batteries.  No  craft  is  allowed  to  go  any  dis- 
tance from  the  Rock,  as  they  are  afraid  of  the  Spaniards 
learning  the  state  to  which  we  are  reduced  by  illness.  If 
you  did  swim  to  the  head  of  the  bay  as  you  talk  about,  you 
would  be  certain  to  be  captured  at  once  by  the  Spaniards; 
and  in  that  case  you  would  as  likely  as  not  be  shot  as  a  spy." 

"  Still  deserters  do  get  out,  you  know,  doctor.  There  is 
scarcely  a  week  that  two  or  three  don't  manage  to  get  away. 
I  mean  to  try,  anyhow.  If  you  like  to  help  me,  of  course 
it  will  make  it  easier;  if  not,  I  shall  try  by  myself." 

"Gerald  and  your  sister  would  never  forgive  me  if  any- 
thing happened  to  you,  Bob." 

"There  is  no  occasion  for  them  to  know  anything  about 
it.  Anyhow  I  shall  say  nothing  to  them.  I  shall  leave  a 
note  behind  me  saying  that  I  am  going  to  make  an  attempt 
to  get  out  and  bring  back  a  boat  full  of  oranges  and  lemons. 
I  am  past  seventeen  now,  and  am  old  enough  to  act  for 


ORANGES   AND   LEMONS.  253 

myself.  I  don't  think,  if  the  thing  is  managed  properly, 
there  is  any  particular  risk  about  it.  I  will  think  it  over 
by  to-morrow,  and  tell  you  what  plan  I  have  fixed  on." 

On  the  following  day  Bob  told  the  doctor  that  there  were 
two  plans.  "The  first  is  to  be  lowered  by  a  rope  down  at 
the  back  of  the  Rock.  That  is  ever  so  much  the  simplest. 
Of  course  there  is  no  difficulty  about  it  if  the  rope  is  long 
enough.  Some  of  the  deserters  have  failed  because  the  rope 
has  been  too  short,  but  I  should  take  care  to  get  one  long 
enough.  The  only  fear  is  the  sentries;  I  know  that  there 
are  lots  of  them  posted  about  there  on  purpose  to  prevent 
desertion." 

"Quite  so,  Bob;  and  no  one  is  allowed  to  go  along  the 
paths  after  dark  except  on  duty." 

"Yes.  Well,  the  other  plan  is  to  go  out  with  the  party 
that  furnishes  the  sentries  down  on  the  neutral  ground, 
choose  some  dark  night,  manage  to  get  separated  from  them 
as  they  march  out,  and  then  make  for  the  shore  and  take  to 
the  water.  Of  course  if  one  could  arrange  to  have  the  officer 
with  the  party  in  the  secret  it  would  make  it  easy  enough." 

"It  might  be  done  that  way,"  the  doctor  said  thought- 
fully. "  Have  you  quite  made  up  your  mind  to  do  this 
thing,  Bob?" 

"  I  have  quite  made  up  my  mind  to  try,  anyhow." 

"Well,  if  you  mean  to  try,  Bob,  it  is  just  as  well  that 
you  shouldn't  get  shot  at  the  start.  I  have  just  been  round 
to  the  orderly-room.  Our  regiment  furnishes  the  pickets  on 
the  neutral  ground  to-night.  Captain  Antrobus  commands 
the  party.  He  is  a  good  fellow;  and  as  he  is  a  married 
man,  and  all  four  of  his  children  are  bad  with  scurvy,  he 
would  feel  an  interest  in  your  attempt.  You  know  him  as 
well  as  I  do.  If  you  like  I  will  go  with  you  to  his  quarters 
and  see  what  we  can  do  with  him." 

They  at  once  set  out. 

"Look  here,  Antrobus,"  the  doctor  said,  after  asking  that 
officer  to  come  out  for  a  chat  with  him,    "if  we  don't  get 


254:  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

some  lemon-juice  I  am  afraid  it  will  go  very  hard  with  a 
lot  of  the  children." 

"Yes,  we  have  known  that  for  some  time,  doctor." 

"Well,  Repton  here  has  made  up  his  mind  to  try  to 
get  out  of  the  place  and  make  his  way  to  Malaga,  and 
get  a  boat-load  of  fruit  and  try  to  bring  it  in.  Of  course  he 
will  go  dressed  as  a  native,  and  he  speaks  Spanish  well 
enough  to  pass  anywhere  without  suspicion.  So  once  be- 
yond the  lines,  I  don't  see  much  difficulty  in  his  making  his 
way  to  Malaga.  Whether  he  will  get  back  again  is  another 
matter  altogether.  That  is  his  business.  He  has  plenty 
of  money  to  purchase  the  fruit  when  he  arrives  there,  and 
to  buy  a  boat  and  all  that  sort  of  thing.  The  difficulty  is 
in  getting  out.  Now,  nobody  is  going  to  know  how  he  does 
this  except  our  three  selves." 

"  But  why  do  you  come  to  me,  Burke?  " 

"  Because  you  command  the  guard  to-night  on  the  neutral 
ground.  What  he  proposes  is  that  he  should  put  on  a  sol- 
dier's greatcoat  and  cap  and  take  a  firelock,  and  in  the  dark 
fall  in  with  your  party.  When  you  get  well  out  on  the 
neutral  ground  he  could  either  slip  away  and  take  his 
chance,  or,  what  would  be  better  still,  he  might  be  in  the 
party  you  take  forward  to  post  as  sentries,  and  you  could 
take  him  along  with  you,  so  that  he  would  go  with  you  as  far 
as  the  shore,  and  could  then  slip  away,  come  back  a  bit  so 
as  to  be  out  of  sight  of  the  farthest  sentry,  and  then  take 
to  the  water.  He  can  swim  like  a  fish,  and  what  current 
there  is  will  be  with  him,  so  that  before  it  began  to  be  light 
he  could  land  two  or  three  miles  beyond  the  Spanish  lines. 
He  is  going  to  leave  a  note  behind  for  O'Halloran  saying 
he  has  left,  but  no  one  will  know  whether  he  got  down  at 
the  back  of  the  Rock  or  swam  across  the  bay,  or  how  he 
has  go'ne.  I  have  tried  to  dissuade  him,  but  he  has  made 
up  his  mind  to  try  it;  and  seeing  that  if  he  succeeds  it  may 
save  the  lives  of  scores  of  children,  I  really  cannot  refuse 
to  help  him." 


ORANGES  AND  LEMONS.  255 

"Well,  I  don't  know,"  Captain  Antrobus  said.  "There 
certainly  does  not  seem  much  risk  in  his  going  out,  as  you 
say.  I  should  get  a  tremendous  wigging  no  doubt  if  he  is 
discovered  and  it  was  known  that  I  had  a  hand  in  it,  but  I 
would  not  mind  risking  that  for  the  sake  of  the  children. 
But  don't  take  a  firelock,  Repton;  the  sergeants  would  be 
sure  to  notice  that  there  was  an  extra  man.  You  had  better 
join  us  just  as  we  set  out.  I  will  say  a  word  or  two  to  you, 
then  do  you  follow  on  in  the  dark.  The  men  will  suppose 
you  are  one  of  the  drummers  I  am  taking  with  me  to  serve 
as  a  messenger  or  something  of  that  sort.  That  way  you  can 
follow  close  behind  me  while  I  am  posting  the  sentries  after 
leaving  the  main  body  at  the  guard-house.  After  posting 
the  last  man  at  the  sea-shore  I  can  turn  off  with  you  for  a 
few  yards  as  if  giving  you  an  order.  Then  I  will  go  back 
and  stay  for  a  time  with  the  last  sentry,  who  will  naturally 
think  that  the  drummer  has  been  sent  back  to  the  guard- 
house. I  will  recommend  him  to  be  vigilant,  and  keep  by 
him  for  some  time  till  I  am  pretty  sure  you  have  taken  to 
the  water  and  swam  past,  so  that  if  the  sentry  should  hear 
a  splash  or  anything,  I  can  say  it  can  only  be  a  fish,  and 
that  at  any  rate  it  would  not  do  to  give  an  alarm,  as  it  can- 
not be  anything  of  consequence.  You  see  you  don't  belong 
to  the  garrison,  and  it  is  no  question  of  assisting  a  deserter 
to  escape.     Anyhow  I  will  do  it." 

Thanking  Captain  Antrobus  greatly  for  his  promise  of 
assistance,  Bob  went  off  into  the  town,  where  he  bought  a 
suit  of  Spanish  clothes  such  as  would  be  appropriate  for  a 
small  farmer  or  trader;  he  then  presented  his  letter  of  credit 
at  the  merchant's  and  drew  a  hundred  pounds,  which  he  ob- 
tained in  Spanish  gold.  This  money  and  the  clothes  he  put 
in  an  oil-skin  bag,  of  which  the  mouth  was  securely  closed. 
This  he  left  at  the  doctor's.  As  soon  as  it  became  dark  he 
went  down  again.  The  doctor  had  a  greatcoat  and  hat  in 
readiness  for  him — there  being  plenty  of  effects  of  men  who 
had  died  in  the  hospital — and  as  soon  as  Bob  had  put  them 


25G  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

on,  walked  across,  with  Bob  following  him,  to  the  spot  where 
Captain  Antrobus'  company  were  falling  in.  Just  as  they 
were  about  to  march  the  doctor  went  up  to  the  captain,  who 
after  a  word  or  two  with  him  said  to  Bob,  in  a  voice  loud 
enough  to  be  heard  by  the  non-commissioned  officer  close  to 
him:   "Well,  you  will  keep  by  me." 

The  night  was  a  dark  one,  and  the  party  made  their  way 
down  to  the  gate,  where  the  pass-words  were  exchanged,  and 
the  company  then  moved  along  by  the  narrow  pathway 
between  the  artificial  inundation  and  the  foot  of  the  Rock. 
They  continued  their  way  until  they  arrived  at  the  building 
that  served  as  the  main  guard  of  the  outlying  pickets.  Here 
two-thirds  of  the  company  were  left,  and  the  captain  led 
the  others  out,  an  officer  belonging  to  the  regiment  whose 
men  he  was  relieving  accompanying  him.  As  the  sentries 
were  posted  the  men  relieved  fell  in  under  the  orders  of 
their  officer,  and  as  soon  as  the  last  had  been  relieved  they 
marched  back  to  the  guard-house. 

A  minute  later  Captain  Antrobus  turned  to  Bob. 

"You  need  not  wait,"  he  said;  "go  back  to  the  guard- 
house.     Mind  how  you  go." 

Bob  saluted  and  turned  off,  leaving  the  officer  standing 
by  the  sentry.  He  went  some  distance  back,  then  walked 
down  the  sand  to  the  water' s-edge,  and  waded  noiselessly 
into  the  water.  The  oil-skin  bag  was,  he  knew,  buoyant 
enough  to  give  him  ample  support  in  the  water.  When  he 
was  breast-deep  he  let  his  uniform  cloak  slip  off  his 
shoulders,  allowed  his  shoes  to  sink  to  the  bottom  and  his 
three-cornered  hat  to  float  away.  The  doctor  had  advised 
him  to  do  this. 

"If  you  leave  the  things  at  the  edge  of  the  water,  Bob, 
it  will  be  thought  that  somebody  has  deserted,  and  then 
there  will  be  a  lot  of  questions  and  inquiries.  You  had 
better  take  them  well  out  into  the  sea  with  you,  and  then 
let  them  go.  They  will  sink  and  drift  along  under  water, 
and  if  they  are  ever  thrown  up  it  will  be  far  beyond  our 


ORANGES  AND  LEMONS.  257 

lines.  In  that  way,  as  the  whole  of  the  guard  will  answer 
to  their  names  when  the  roll  is  called  to-morrow,  no  one 
will  ever  give  a  thought  to  the  drummer  who  fell  in  at  the 
last  moment,  or  if  one  of  them  does  think  of  it  he  will 
suppose  that  the  captain  sent  him  into  the  town  with  a 
report." 

The  bag  would  have  been  a  great  encumbrance  had  Bob 
wanted  to  swim  fast.  As  it  was  he  simply  placed  his  hands 
upon  it  and  struck  out  with  his  feet,  making  straight  out 
from  the  shore.  This  he  did  for  some  ten  minutes,  and 
then,  being  certain  that  he  was  far  beyond  the  sight  of  any- 
one on  shore,  he  turned,  and  as  nearly  as  he  could  followed 
the  line  of  the  coast.  The  voices  of  the  sentries  calling  to 
each  other  came  across  the  sea,  and  he  could  make  out  a 
light  or  two  in  the  great  fort  at  the  water's  edge.  It  was 
easy  work;  the  water  was  as  nearly  as  possible  the  tempera- 
ture of  his  body,  and  he  felt  that  he  could  remain  for  any 
time  in  it  without  inconvenience.  The  lights  in  the  fort 
served  as  a  mark  by  which  he  could  note  his  progress,  and 
an  hour  after  starting  he  was  well  abreast  of  them,  and 
knew  that  the  current  must  be  helping  him  more  than  he 
had  expected  it  would  do. 

Another  hour  and  he  began  to  swim  shorewards,  as  the 
current  might,  for  aught  he  knew,  be  drifting  him  somewhat 
out  into  the  bay.  When  he  was  able  to  make  out  the  dark 
line  ahead  of  him  he  again  resumed  his  former  course.  It 
was  just  eight  o'clock  when  the  guard  had  passed  through 
the  gate.  He  had  started  half  an  hour  later.  He  swam 
what  seemed  to  him  a  very  long  time,  but  he  had  no  means 
of  telling  how  the  time  passed.  When  he  thought  it  must 
be  somewhere  about  twelve  o'clock  he  made  for  the  shore. 
He  was  sure  that  by  this  time  he  must  be  at  least  three 
miles  beyond  the  fort,  and  as  the  Spanish  camps  lay  princi- 
pally near  San  Roque  at  the  head  of  the  bay,  and  there 
were  no  tents  anywhere  by  the  sea-shore,  he  felt  sure  that 
he  could  land  now  without  the  slightest  danger. 


258  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

Here  then  he  waded  ashore,  stripped,  tied  his  clothes  in  a 
bundle,  waded  a  short  distance  back  again,  and  dropped 
them  in  the  sea.  Then  he  returned,  took  up  the  bag,  and 
carried  it  up  the  sandy  beach;  opening  it,  he  dressed  him- 
self in  the  complete  set  of  clothes  he  had  brought  with  him, 
put  on  the  Spanish  shoes  and  round  turned-up  hat,  placed 
his  money  in  his  pocket,  scraped  a  shallow  hole  in  the  sand, 
put  the  bag  in  it  and  covered  it,  and  then  started  walking 
briskly  along  on  the  flat  ground  beyond  the  sand-hills.  He 
kept  on  until  he  saw  the  first  faint  light  in  the  sky,  then  he 
sat  down  among  some  bushes  until  it  was  light  enough  for 
him  to  distinguish  the  features  of  the  country. 

Inland  the  ground  rose  rapidly  into  hills,  in  many  places 
covered  with  wood,  and  half  an  hour's  walking  took  him  to 
one  of  these.  Looking  back,  he  could  see  the  Rock  rising, 
as  he  judged,  from  twelve  to  fourteen  miles  away.  He  soon 
found  a  place  with  some  thick  undergrowth,  and  entering 
this,  lay  down  and  was  soon  sound  asleep.  When  he  woke 
it  was  already  late  in  the  afternoon.  He  had  brought  with 
him  in  the  bag  some  biscuits  and  hard  boiled  eggs,  and  of 
a  portion  of  these  he  made  a  hearty  meal.  Then  he  pushed 
up  over  the  hill,  until  after  an  hour's  walking  he  saw  a  road 
before  him.  This  was  all  he  wanted,  and  he  sat  down  and 
waited  until  it  became  dark.  A  battalion  of  infantry  passed 
along  as  he  sat  there,  marching  towards  Gibraltar.  Two  or 
three  long  lines  of  laden  carts  passed  by  in  the  same  direc- 
tion. 

He  had  consulted  a  map  before  starting,  and  knew  that 
the  distance  to  Malaga  was  more  than  twenty  leagues,  and 
that  the  first  place  of  any  importance  was  Estepona,  about 
eight  leagues  from  Gibraltar,  and  that  before  the  siege  a 
large  proportion  of  the  supplies  of  fruit  and  vegetables  were 
brought  to  Gibraltar  from  this  town.  Starting  as  soon  as 
it  became  dark,  he  passed  through  Estepona  at  about  ten 
o'clock,  looked  in  at  a  wine-shop  and  sat  down  to  a  pint  of 
wine  and  some  bread,  and  then  continued  his  journey  until, 


ORANGES  AND  LEMONS.  259 

taking  it  quietly,  he  was  in  sight  of  Marbella.  He  slept  in 
a  grove  of  trees  until  daylight,  and  then  entered  the  town, 
which  was  charmingly  situated  among  orange  groves.  Going 
into  a  fonda  or  tavern,  he  called  for  breakfast;  when  he  had 
eaten  this,  he  leisurely  strolled  down  to  the  port,  and  taking 
his  seat  on  a  block  of  stone  on  the  pier,  watched  the  boats. 
As  while  walking  down  from  the  fonda  he  had  passed  several 
shops  with  oranges  and  lemons,  it  seemed  to  him  that  it 
would  in  some  respects  be  better  for  him  to  get  the  fruit 
here  instead  of  going  on  to  Malaga. 

In  the  first  place  the  distance  to  return  was  but  half  that 
from  Malaga,  and  in  the  second  it  would  probably  be  easier 
to  get  out  from  a  quiet  little  port  like  this  than  from  a  large 
town  like  Malaga.  The  question  which  puzzled  him  was 
how  he  was  to  get  his  oranges  on  board.  Where  could  he 
reasonably  be  going  to  take  them? 

Presently  a  sailor  came  up  and  began  to  chat  with  him. 

"Are  you  wanting  a  boat,  senor?  " 

"  I  have  not  made  up  my  mind  yet,"  he  said.  "  I  suppose 
you  are  busy  here  now?  " 

"  No ;  the  times  are  dull.  Usually  we  do  a  good  deal  of 
trade  with  Gibraltar,  but  at  present  that  is  all  stopped.  It 
is  hard  on  us;  but  when  we  turn  out  the  English  hereticos  I 
hope  we  shall  have  better  times  than  ever.  But  who  can 
say?  They  have  plenty  of  money,  the  English,  and  are 
ready  to  pay  good  prices  for  everything." 

"But  I  suppose  you  take  things  to  our  camp?" 

The  fisherman  shook  his  head.  "They  get  their  supplies 
direct  from  Malaga  by  sea.  There  are  many  carts  go  through 
here,  of  course;  but  the  roads  are  heavy,  and  it  is  cheaper 
to  send  things  by  water.  If  our  camp  had  been  on  the  sea- 
shore instead  of  at  San  Roque  we  might  have  taken  fish  and 
fruit  to  them;  but  it  is  a  long  way  across,  and  of  course  in 
small  boats  we  cannot  go  round  the  great  Rock  and  run  the 
risk  of  being  shot  at  or  taken  prisoners.  No;  there  is 
nothing  for  us  to  do  here  now  but  to  carry  what  fish  and 


260  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

fruit  we  do  not  want  at  Marbella  across  to  Malaga,  and  we 
get  poor  prices  there  to  what  we  used  to  get  at  Gibraltar, 
and  no  chance  of  turning  an  honest  penny  by  smuggling 
away  a  few  pounds  of  tobacco  as  we  come  back.  There  was 
as  much  profit  in  that  as  there  was  in  the  sale  of  the  goods; 
but  one  had  to  be  very  sharp,  for  they  were  always  suspi- 
cious of  boats  coming  back  from  there,  and  used  to  search 
us  so  that  you  would  think  one  could  not  bring  so  much  as  a 
cigar  on  shore.  But  you  know  there  are  ways  of  managing 
things.    Are  you  thinking  of  going  across  to  Malaga,  sehor  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  have  a  little  business  there.  I  want  to  see  how 
the  new  wines  are  selling,  and  whether  it  will  be  better  for 
me  to  sell  mine  now  or  to  keep  them  in  my  cellars  for  a  few 
months.  I  am  in  no  hurry;  to-morrow  is  as  good  as  to-day. 
If  there  had  been  a  boat  going  across  I  might  have  taken  a 
passage  that  way  instead  of  riding." 

"  I  don't  know,  sehor.  There  was  a  man  asking  an  hour 
ago  if  anyone  was  going.  He  was  wanting  to  take  a  few 
boxes  of  fruit  across,  but  he  did  not  care  about  hiring  my 
boat  for  himself.  That,  you  see,  was  reasonable  enough; 
but  if  the  sefior  wished  to  go  too  it  might  be  managed  if 
you  took  the  boat  between  you.  I  would  carry  you  cheaply 
if  you  would  be  willing  to  wait  for  an  hour  or  two,  so  that 
I  could  go  round  to  the  other  fishermen  and  get  a  few 
dozen  fish  from  one  and  a  few  dozen  from  another,  to  sell 
for  them  over  there.     That  is  the  way  we  manage." 

"  I  could  not  very  well  go  until  the  afternoon,"  Bob  said. 

"  If  you  do  not  go  until  the  afternoon,  sehor,  it  would  be 
as  well  not  to  start  until  evening.  The  wind  is  very  light, 
and  we  should  have  to  row.  If  you  start  in  the  afternoon 
we  should  get  to  Malaga  at  two  or  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  when  everyone  was  asleep;  but  if  you  were  to  start 
in  the  evening  we  should  be  in  in  reasonable  time,  just  as 
the  people  were  coming  into  the  markets.  That  would  suit 
us  for  the  sale  of  our  fish  and  the  man  with  his  fruit.  The 
nights  are  warm,  and  with  a  cloak  and  an  old  sail  to  keep 


ORANGES  AND  LEMONS.  261 

off  the  night  dew  the  voyage  would  be  more  pleasant  than 
in  the  heat  of  the  day." 

"That  would  do  for  me  very  well,"  Bob  said;  "nothing 
could  be  better.  What  charge  would  you  make  for  taking 
me  across  and  bringing  me  back  to-morrow?  " 

"At  what  time  would  you  want  to  return,  sehor?  " 

"  It  would  matter  little.  I  should  be  done  with  my  business 
by  noon,  but  I  should  be  in  no  hurry.  I  could  wait  until 
evening,  if  that  would  suit  you  better." 

"And  we  might  bring  other  passengers  back,  and  any 
cargo  we  might  pick  up?  " 

"  Yes,  so  that  you  do  not  fill  the  boat  so  full  that  there 
would  be  no  room  for  me  to  stretch  my  legs." 

"Would  the  sehor  think  four  dollars  too  much?  There 
will  be  my  brother  and  myself,  and  it  will  be  a  long  row." 

"It  is  dear,"  Bob  said  decidedly;  "but  I  will  give  you 
three  dollars,  and  if  everything  passes  to  my  satisfaction 
maybe  I  will  make  up  the  other  dollar." 

"Agreed,  sehor.  I  will  see  if  I  can  find  the  man  who 
was  here  asking  for  a  boat  for  his  fruit." 

"  I  will  come  back  in  an  hour  and  see,"  Bob  said,  getting 
up  and  walking  leisurely  away. 

The  fisherman  was  waiting  for  him.  "I  can't  find  the 
man,  senor,  though  I  have  searched  all  through  the  town. 
He  must  have  gone  off  to  his  farm  again." 

"That  is  bad.  How  much  did  you  reckon  upon  making 
from  him?  " 

"I  should  have  got  another  three  dollars  from  him." 

"Well,  I  tell  you  what,"  Bob  said;  "I  have  a  good  many 
friends,  and  people  are  always  pleased  with  a  present  from 
the  country.  A  box  of  fruit  from  Marbella  is  always  wel- 
come, for  their  flavour  is  considered  excellent.  It  is  well  to 
throw  a  little  fish  to  catch  a  big  one,  and  a  present  is  like 
oil  on  the  wheels  of  business.  How  many  boxes  of  fruit 
will  your  boat  carry?  I  suppose  you  could  take  twenty  and 
still  have  room  to  row?  " 


262  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

"Thirty,  sir;  that  is  the  boat,"  and  he  pointed  to  one 
moored  against  the  quay.  She  was  about  twenty  feet  long, 
with  a  mast  carrying  a  good-sized  sail. 

"Very  well,  then.  I  will  hire  the  boat  for  myself.  I 
will  give  you  six  dollars,  and  another  dollar  for  drink-money 
if  all  goes  pleasantly.  You  must  be  ready  to  come  back 
to-morrow  evening,  or  the  first  thing  next  morning  if  it 
should  suit  you  to  stay  till  then.  You  can  carry  what  fish 
you  can  get  to  Malaga,  and  may  take  in  a  return  cargo  if 
you  can  get  one;  that  will  be  extra  profit  for  yourselves. 
But  you  and  your  brother  must  agree  to  carry  down  the 
boxes  of  fruit  and  put  them  on  board  here.  I  am  not  going 
to  pay  porters  for  that.     At  what  time  will  you  start?  " 

"Shall  we  say  six  o'clock,  senor?  " 

"That  will  suit  me  very  well.  You  can  come  up  with  me 
now  and  bring  the  fruit  down  and  put  it  on  board;  or  I 
will  be  down  here  at  five  o'clock,  and  you  can  go  up  and 
get  it  then." 

The  man  thought  for  a  moment.  "  I  would  rather  do  it 
now,  sehor,  if  it  makes  no  difference  to  you.  Then  we  can 
have  our  evening  meals  at  home  with  our  families,  and  come 
straight  down  here  and  start." 

"Very  well;  fetch  your  brother  and  we  will  set  about  the 
matter  at  once,  as  I  have  to  go  out  to  my  farm  and  make 
some  arrangements,  and  tell  them  they  may  not  see  me  again 
for  three  days." 

In  two  or  three  minutes  the  fisherman  came  back  with  his 
brother.  Bob  went  with  them  to  a  trader  in  fruit,  and 
bought  twenty  boxes  of  lemons  and  ten  of  oranges,  and  saw 
them  carried  down  and  put  on  board.  Then  he  handed  a 
dollar  to  the  boatman. 

"Get  a  loaf  of  white  bread  and  a  nice  piece  of  cooked 

meat  and  a  couple  of  bottles  of  good  wine,  and  put  them  on 

board;  we  shall  be  hungry  before  morning.    I  will  be  here 

at  a  few  minutes  before  six." 

•  Highly  satisfied  with  the  good  fortune  that  had  enabled 


ORANGES   AND   LEMONS.  263 

him  to  get  the  fruit  on  board  without  the  slightest  difficulty, 
Bob  returned  into  the  town.  It  was  but  eleven  o'clock  now, 
so,  having  had  but  a  short  sleep  the  night  before,  and  no 
prospect  of  sleep  the  next  night,  he  walked  a  mile  along  the 
road  by  the  sea,  then  turned  off  among  the  sand-hills  and 
slept  till  four  in  the  afternoon,  after  which  he  returned  to 
Marbella  and  partook  of  a  hearty  meal.  Having  finished 
this  he  strolled  out,  and  was  not  long  in  discovering  a  shop 
where  arms  were  sold.  Here  he  bought  a  brace  of  long 
heavy  pistols  and  two  smaller  ones,  with  powder  and  bullets, 
and  also  a  long  knife,  They  were  all  made  into  a  parcel 
together;  and  on  leaving  the  shop  he  bought  a  small  bag. 
Then  he  went  a  short  distance  out  of  the  town  again, 
carefully  loaded  the  four  pistols,  and  placed  them  and  the 
knife  in  the  bag. 

As  he  went  back  the  thought  struck  him  that  the  voyage 
might  probably  last  longer  than  they  expected,  and  buying 
a  basket  he  stored  it  with  another  piece  of  meat,  three  loaves, 
and  two  more  bottles  of  wine,  and  gave  it  to  a  boy  to  carry 
down  to  the  boat.  It  was  a  few  minutes  before  six  when  he 
got  there.  The  two  sailors  were  standing  by  the  boat,  and 
a  considerable  pile  of  fish  in  the  bow  showed  that  they  had 
been  successful  in  getting  a  consignment  from  the  other 
fishermen  of  the  port.  They  looked  surprised  at  the  second 
supply  of  provisions. 

"Why,  sehor,  we  have  got  the  things  you  ordered." 

"Yes,  yes,  I  do  not  doubt  that;  but  I  have  heard  before 
now  of  head-winds  springing  up,  and  boats  not  being  able 
to  make  their  passage  and  being  blown  off  land,  and  I  am 
not  fond  of  fasting.  I  daresay  you  won't  mind  eating  to- 
morrow anything  that  is  not  consumed  by  the  time  we  reach 
port." 

"We  will  undertake  that,  senor,"  the  man  said  laughing, 
highly  satisfied  at  the  liberality  of  their  employer. 

"Is  there  wind  enough  for  the  sail?"  Bob  asked  as  he 
stepped  into  the  stern  of  the  boat. 


264  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

"  It  is  very  light,  senor,  but  I  daresay  it  will  help  us  a  bit. 
We  shall  get  out  the  oars." 

"I  will  take  the  helm  if  you  sail,"  Bob  said.  "You  can 
tell  me  which  side  to  push  it;  it  will  be  an  amusement,  and 
keep  me  awake." 

The  sun  was  just  setting  as  they  started.  There  was 
scarcely  a  breath  of  wind.  The  light  breeze  that  had  been 
blowing  during  the  day  had  dropped  with  the  sun,  and 
the  evening  breeze  had  not  yet  sprung  up.  The  two  fisher- 
men rowed,  and  the  boat  went  slowly  through  the  water; 
for  the  men  knew  that  they  had  a  long  row  before  them, 
and  were  by  no  means  inclined  to  exert  themselves,  especi- 
ally as  they  hoped  that  in  a  short  time  they  would  get  wind 
enough  to  take  them  on  their  way  without  the  oars.  Bob 
chatted  with  them  until  it  became  dark.  As  soon  as  he  was 
perfectly  sure  that  the  boat  could  not  be  seen  from  the  land, 
he  quietly  opened  his  bag  and  changed  the  conversation. 

"  My  men,"  he  said,  "  I  wonder  that  you  are  content  with 
earning  small  wages  here  when  you  could  get  a  lot  of  money 
by  making  a  trip  occasionally  round  to  Gibraltar  with  fruit. 
It  would  be  quite  easy,  for  you  could  keep  well  out  from  the 
coast  till  it  became  dark,  and  then  row  in  close  under  the 
Rock,  and  keep  along  round  the  Point  and  into  the  town 
without  the  least  risk  of  being  seen  by  any  of  our  cruisers. 
You  talked  about  making  money  by  smuggling  in  tobacco 
from  there,  but  that  is  nothing  to  what  you  could  get  by 
taking  fruit  into  Gibraltar.  These  oranges  cost  a  dollar  and 
a  half  a  box,  and  they  would  fetch  ten  dollars  a  box  easily 
there;  indeed  I  think  they  would  fetch  twenty  dollars  a 
box.  Why,  that  would  give  a  profit  on  the  thirty  boxes  of 
six  or  seven  hundred  dollars.     Just  think  of  that!  " 

"Would  they  give  such  a  price  as  that?  "  the  men  said  in 
surprise. 

"They  would.  They  are  suffering  from  want  of  fresh 
meat,  and  there  is  illness  among  them,  and  oranges  and 
lemons  are  the  things  to  cure  them.     It  is  all  very  well  for 


ORANGES   AND    LEMONS.  265 

men  to  suffer,  but  no  one  wants  women  and  children  to  do 
so;  and  it  would  be  the  act  of  good  Christians  to  relieve 
them,  besides  making  as  much  money  in  one  little  short 
trip  as  you  would  make  in  a  year's  work." 

"That  is  true,"  the  men  said;  "but  we  might  be  sunk  by 
the  guns  going  there,  and  we  should  certainly  be  hung  when 
we  got  back  if  they  found  out  where  we  had  been." 

"Why  should  they  find  out?  "  Bob  asked.  "You  would 
put  out  directly  it  got  dark,  and  row  round  close  under  the 
Rock,  and  then  make  out  to  sea,  and  in  the  morning  you 
would  be  somewhere  off  Marbella,  but  eight  or  ten  miles 
out,  with  your  fishing-nets  down,  and  who  is  to  know 
that  you  have  been  to  Gibraltar?  " 

The  men  were  silent.  The  prospect  certainly  seemed  a 
tempting  one.  Bob  allowed  them  to  turn  it  over  in  their 
minds  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  spoke  again. 

"Now,  my  men,  I  will  speak  to  you  frankly;  it  is  just 
this  business  that  I  am  bent  upon  now.  I  have  come  out 
from  Gibraltar  to  do  a  little  trade  in  fruit.  It  is  sad  to  see 
women  and  children  suffering;  and  there  is,  as  I  told  you, 
lots  of  money  to  be  made  out  of  it.  Now,  I  will  make  you 
a  fair  offer.  You  put  the  boat's  head  round  now  and  sail  for 
Gibraltar.  If  the  wind  helps  us  a  bit  we  shall  be  off  the 
Rock  by  daylight.  When  we  get  there  I  will  give  you  a 
hundred  dollars  apiece." 

"It  is  too  much  risk,"  one  of  the  men  said  after  a  long 
pause. 

"There  is  no  risk  at  all,"  Bob  said  firmly.  "You  will 
get  in  there  to-morrow,  and  you  can  start  again  as  soon  as 
it  becomes  dark,  and  in  the  morning  you  will  be  able  to  sail 
into  Marbella,  and  who  is  to  know  that  you  haven't  been 
across  to  Malaga  as  you  intended?  I  tell  you  what,  I  will 
give  you  another  fifty  dollars  for  your  fish,  or  you  can  sell 
them  there  yourselves;  they  will  fetch  you  quite  that." 

The  men  still  hesitated,  and  spoke  together  in  a  low  voice. 

"Look  here,  men,"  Bob  said  as  he  took  the  two  heavy 


2G6  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

pistols  from  his  bag,  "  I  have  come  out  from  the  Rock  to  do 
this,  and  I  am  going  to  do  it.  The  question  is,  Which  do 
you  choose — to  earn  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  a 
couple"'of  day's  work,  or  to  be  shot  and  thrown  overboard? 
This  boat  is  going  there,  whether  you  go  in  her  or  not.  I 
don't  want  to  hurt  you,  I  would  rather  pay  the  two  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars;  but  that  fruit  may  save  the  lives  of  many 
women  and  little  children,  and  I  am  bound  to  do  it.  You 
can  make  another  trip  or  not,  just  as  you  please.  Now  I 
think  you  will  be  very  foolish  if  you  don't  agree,  for  you  will 
make  three  times  as  much  as  I  offer  you  every  thirty  boxes 
of  fruit  that  you  can  take  in  there;  but  the  boat  has  got  to 
go  there  now,  and  you  have  got  to  take  your  choice  whether 
you  go  in  her  or  not." 

"  How  do  we  know  that  you  will  pay  us  the  money  when 
we  get  there?  "  one  of  the  Spaniards  asked. 

Bob  put  his  hand  into  his  pocket.  "There,"  he  said; 
"there  are  twenty  gold  pieces,  that  is  a  hundred  dollars. 
That  is  a  proof  I  mean  what  I  say.  Put  them  into  your 
pockets.  You  shall  have  the  rest  when  you  get  there. 
But,  mind,  no  nonsense;  no  attempts  at  treachery.  If  I  see 
the  smallest  sign  of  that  I  will  shoot  you  down  without 
hesitation.     Now  row,  and  I'll  put  her  head  round." 

The  men  said  a  few  words  in  an  undertone  to  each  other. 
"  You  guarantee  that  no  harm  shall  come  to  us  at  Gibraltar, 
and  that  we  shall  be  allowed  to  leave  again?  " 

"Yes,  I  promise  you  that  faithfully.  Now  you  have  got 
to  row  a  good  bit  harder  than  you  have  been  rowing  up  till 
now.    We  must  be  past  Fort  Santa  Barbara  before  daylight." 

The  boat's  head  was  round  by  this  time,  and  the  men 
began  to  row  steadily.  At  present  they  hardly  knew  whether 
they  were  satisfied  or  not.  Two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
was  to  them  an  enormous  sum,  but  the  risk  was  great.  It 
was  not  that  they  feared  that  any  suspicion  would  fall  upon 
them  on  their  return.  They  had  often  smuggled  tobacco 
from  Gibraltar,  and  had  no  high  opinion  of  the  acuteness  of 


ORANGES  AND  LEMONS.  267 

the  authorities.  What  really  alarmed  them  was  the  fear  of 
being  sunk  either  by  the  Spanish  or  British  guns.  How- 
ever, they  saw  that  for  the  present  at  any  rate  they  had  no 
option  but  to  obey  the  orders  of  a  passenger  possessed  of 
such  powerful  arguments  as  those  he  held  in  his  hands. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A   WELCOME   CARGO. 

AFTER  the  men  had  been  rowing  for  an  hour  Bob  felt  a 
slight  breeze  springing  up  from  off  the  land,  and  said: 
"You  may  as  well  get  up  the  sail,  it  will  help  you  along  a 
bit."  The  sail  was  a  large  one  for  the  size  of  the  boat,  and 
Bob  felt  a  distinct  increase  in  her  pace  as  soon  as  the  men 
began  to  row  again.  He  could  make  out  the  line  of  the  hills 
against  the  sky,  and  had  therefore  no  difficulty  in  keeping 
the  course.  They  were  soon  back  opposite  Marbella,  the 
lights  of  which  he  could  clearly  make  out.  Little  by  little 
the  breeze  gathered  strength,  and  the  rowers  had  compara- 
tively easy  work  of  it  as  the  boat  slipped  away  lightly  before 
the  wind. 

"What  do  you  make  it — twelve  leagues  from  Marbella 
to  the  Rock?  " 

"About  that,"  the  man  replied.  "If  the  wind  holds  like 
this  we  shall  not  be  very  far  from  the  Rock  by  daylight.  We 
are  going  along  about  a  league  an  hour." 

"  Well,  stretch  out  to  it,  lads,  for  your  own  sakes.  I  have 
no  fear  of  a  shot  from  Santa  Barbara.  The  only  thing  I  am 
afraid  of  is  that  we  should  be  seen  by  any  Spanish  boats 
that  may  be  cruising  round  that  side  before  we  get  under 
shelter  of  the  guns  of  the  Rock." 

The  fishermen  needed  no  warning  as  to  the  danger  of 
being  caught,  and  bent  again  more  strongly  to  their  oars. 

After  they  had  rowed  two  hours  longer  Bob  told  them  to 
pull  the  oars  in. 


A  WELCOME   CARGO.  209 

•''You  had  better  have  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  rest  and 
some  supper  and  a  bottle  of  wine,"  he  said.  "You  have 
got  your  own  basket  forward,  I  will  take  mine  out  of  this 
by  my  side." 

As  their  passenger  had  paid  for  it,  the  boatmen  had  got  a 
very  superior  wine  to  that  they  ordinarily  drank.  After 
eating  their  supper — bread,  meat,  and  onions — and  drinking 
half  a  bottle  of  wine  each,  they  were  disposed  to  look  at  the 
situation  in  a  more  cheerful  light.  Two  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  was  certainly  well  worth  running  a  little  risk  for. 
Why,  it  would  make  them  independent  of  bad  weather,  and 
they  would  be  able  to  freight  their  boat  themselves  with  fish 
or  fruit,  and  to  trade  on  their  own  account. 

They  were  surprised  at  the  enterprise  of  this  young  trader, 
whom  they  supposed  to  be  a  native  of  Gibraltar;  for  Bob 
thought  that  it  was  as  well  that  they  should  remain  in  ig- 
norance of  his  nationality,  as  they  might  have  felt  more 
strongly  that  they  were  rendering  assistance  to  the  enemy  did 
they  know  that  he  was  English.  Hour  after  hour  passed. 
The  wind  did  not  increase  in  force,  nor  on  the  other  hand 
did  it  die  away;  there  was  just  enough  to  keep  the  sail  full, 
and  take  much  of  the  weight  of  the  boat  off  the  arms  of  the 
rowers.  The  men,  knowing  the  outline  of  the  hills,  were 
able  to  tell  what  progress  they  were  making,  and  told  Bob 
when  they  were  passing  Estepona.  Two  or  three  times  there 
was  a  short  pause  for  the  men  to  have  a  draught  of  wine. 
With  that  exception  they  rowed  on  steadily. 

"  It  will  be  a  near  thing,  senor, "  one  of  them  said  towards 
morning.  "The  current  counts  for  three  or  four  miles 
against  us.  If  it  hadn't  been  for  that  we  should  certainly 
have  done  it.     As  it  is,  it  is  doubtful." 

"  I  think  we  are  about  a  mile  off  shore,  are  we  not?  "  Bob 
asked.  "That  is  about  the  distance  I  want  to  keep.  If 
there  are  any  cruisers  they  are  sure  to  be  further  out  than 
that;  and  as  for  Santa  Barbara,  if  they  see  us  and  take  the 
trouble  to  fire  at  us,  there  is  not  much  chance  of  their  hitting 


270  HELD    FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

such  a  mark  as  this  a  mile  away.  Besides,  almost  all  their 
guns  are  on  the  land  side." 

The  men  made  no  reply.  To  them  the  thought  of  being 
fired  at  by  big  guns  was  much  more  alarming  than  that  of 
being  picked  up  by  a  cruiser  of  their  own  nation,  although 
they  saw  there  might  be  a  good  deal  of  difficulty  in  persuad- 
ing the  authorities  that  they  had  taken  part  perforce  in  the 
attempt  to  get  fruit  into  the  beleaguered  garrison.  Daylight 
was  just  beginning  to  break,  when  one  of  the  fishermen 
pointed  out  a  dark  mass  inshore,  but  somewhat  ahead  of 
them. 

"That  is  Santa  Barbara,"  he  said. 

They  had  already  for  some  time  made  out  the  outline  of 
the  Rock,  and  Bob  gazed  anxiously  seaward,  but  could  as  yet 
see  no  signs  of  the  enemy's  cruisers. 

"  Row  away,  lads,"  he  said.  " They  won't  see  us  for  some 
time,  and  in  another  half  hour  we  shall  be  safe." 

The  Spaniards  bent  to  their  oars  with  all  their  strength 
now,  from  time  to  time  looking  anxiously  over  their  shoul- 
ders at  the  fort.  Rapidly  the  daylight  stole  across  the  sky, 
and  they  were  just  opposite  Santa  Barbara  when  a  gun 
boomed  out  and  a  shot  flew  over  their  heads  and  struck 
the  water  a  quarter  of  a  mile  beyond  them.  With  a  yell  of 
fear  the  two  Spaniards  threw  themselves  at  the  bottom  of 
the  boat. 

"  Get  up,  you  fools  !  "  Bob  shouted.  "  You  will  be  no  safer 
down  there  than  if  you  were  rowing.  If  a  shot  strikes  her 
she  will  be  smashed  up  whether  you  are  rowing  or  lying 
down.  If  you  stay  there  it  will  be  an  hour  before  we  get 
out  of  range  of  their  guns,  while  if  you  row  like  men  we 
shall  get  further  and  further  away  every  minute,  and  be  safe 
in  a  quarter  of  an  hour." 

It  was  only,  however,  after  he  threatened  to  shoot  them 
if  they  did  not  set  to  work  again  that  the  Spaniards  resumed 
their  oars,  but  when  they  did  they  rowed  desperately. 
Another  shot  from  the  fort  struck  the  water  a  short  distance 
astern,  exciting  a  fresh  yell  of  agony  from  the  men. 


A   WELCOME   CARGO.  271 

"There,  you  see,"  Bob  said;  "  if  you  hadn't  been  sending 
her  faster  through  the  water  that  would  have  hit  us.  Ah ! 
they  are  beginning  from  that  sloop  out  at  sea." 

This  was  a  small  craft  that  Bob  had  made  out  as  the  light 
increased,  a  mile  and  a  half  seaward.  She  had  changed  her 
course,  and  was  heading  in  their  direction.  Retaining  his 
hold  of  his  pistols  Bob  moved  forward,  put  out  a  spare  oar, 
and  set  to  to  row.  Shot  after  shot  came  from  the  fort  and 
several  from  the  sloop;  but  a  boat  at  that  distance  presents 
but  a  small  mark,  and  although  a  shot  went  through  the  sail 
none  struck  her.  Presently  a  gun  boomed  out  ahead  of 
them  high  in  the  air,  and  a  shot  fell  near  the  sloop,  which 
at  once  hauled  her  wind  and  stood  out  to  sea. 

"We  have  got  rid  of  her,"  Bob  said,  "and  we  are  a  mile 
and  a  half  from  the  fort  now.  You  can  take  it  easy,  men. 
They  won't  waste  many  more  shot  upon  us." 

Indeed  only  one  more  gun  was  fired  by  the  Spaniards, 
and  then  the  boat  pursued  her  course  unmolested,  Bob  re 
turning  to  his  seat  at  the  helm. 

"They  will  be  on  the  look-out  for  us  as  we  go  back,"  one 
of  the  Spaniards  said. 

"They  won't  see  you  in  the  dark,"  Bob  replied.  "Be- 
sides, as  likely  as  not  they  will  think  that  you  are  one  of 
the  Rock  fishing-boats  that  has  ventured  out  too  far  and 
failed  to  get  back  by  daylight." 

Once  out  of  reach  of  the  shot  from  the  fort  the  sailors 
laid  in  their  oars,  having  been  rowing  for  more  than  ten 
hours,  and  the  boat  glided  along  quietly  at  a  distance  of 
a  few  hundred  feet  from  the  foot  of  the  cliff. 

"Which  are  you  going  to  do?  "  Bob  asked  them;  "take 
fifty  dollars  for  your  fish,  or  sell  them  for  what  you  can  get 
for  them?  " 

The  fishermen  at  once  said  they  would  take  the  fifty  dol- 
lars; for  although  they  had  collected  all  that  had  been 
brought  in  by  the  other  fishermen,  amounting  to  some  five 
hundred  pounds  in  weight,  they  could  not  imagine  that  fish 


97? 


HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 


for  which  they  would  not  have  got  more  than  ten  dollars  at 
the  outside  at  Malaga  could  sell  for  fifty  at  Gibraltar.  As 
they  rounded  Europa  Point  there  was  a  hail  from  above, 
and  looking  up  Bob  saw  Captain  O'Halloran  and  the 
doctor. 

"  Hulloa,  Bob  !  " 

"Hulloa!  "  Bob  shouted  back,  and  waved  his  hat. 

"All  right,  Bob!" 

"All  right.      I  have  got  thirty  boxes!  " 

"Hurrah!"  the  doctor  shouted,  waving  his  hat  over  his 
head.  "We  will  meet  you  at  the  New  Mole.  That  is  some- 
thing like  a  boy,  Gerald !  " 

"It  is  all  very  well  for  you,"  Captain  O'Halloran  said. 
"  You  are  not  responsible  for  him,  and  you  are  not  married 
to  his  sister." 

"  Put  yourself  in  the  way  of  a  cannon-ball,  Gerald,  and  I 
will  be  married  to  her  a  week  after — if  she  will  have  me." 
His  companion  laughed. 

"It  is  all  very  well,  Teddy;  but  it  is  just  as  well  for  you 
that  you  did  not  show  your  face  up  at  the  house  during  the 
last  three  days.  It  is  not  Bob  who  has  been  blamed.  It 
has  been  entirely  you  and  me,  especially  you.  The  moment 
she  read  his  letter  she  said  at  once  that  you  were  at  the 
bottom  of  it,  and  that  it  never  would  have  entered  Bob's 
mind  to  do  such  a  mad  thing  if  you  had  not  put  him  up  to 
it;  and  of  course  when  I  came  back  from  seeing  you,  and 
said  that  you  admitted  that  you  knew  what  he  was  doing, 
it  made  the  case  infinitely  worse.  It  will  be  a  long  time 
before  she  takes  you  into  favour  again." 

"About  an  hour,"  the  doctor  said  calmly.  "As  soon  as 
she  finds  that  Bob  has  come  back  again  with  the  fruit,  and 
that  he  has  as  good  as  saved  the  lives  of  scores  of  women 
and  children,  she  will  be  so  proud  of  him  that  she  will  greet 
me  as  part  author  of  the  credit  he  has  gained ;  though  really, 
as  I  told  you,  I  had  nothing  to  do  with  it,  except  that  when 
I  saw  that  Bob  had  made  up  his  mind  to  try,  whether  I 


A   WELCOME    CARGO.  Zio 

helped  him  or  not,  I  thought  it  best  to  help  him,  as  far  as  I 
could,  to  get  away.  Now,  we  must  get  some  porters  to 
carry  the  boxes  up  to  your  house,  or  wherever  he  wants 
them  sent.  Ah  !  here  is  the  governor.  He  will  be  pleased 
to  hear  that  Bob  has  got  safely  back." 

Captain  O'Halloran  had,  when  he  found  Bob's  letter  in 
his  room  on  the  morning  after  he  had  left,  felt  it  his  duty 
to  go  to  the  town-major's  office  to  mention  his  absence,  and 
it  had  been  reported  to  the  general,  who  had  sent  for  Gerald 
to  inquire  about  the  circumstances  of  the  lad's  leaving. 
Captain  O'Halloran  had  assured  him  that  he  knew  nothing 
whatever  of  his  intention,  and  that  it  was  only  when  he 
found  the  letter  on  his  table  saying  that  he  had  made  up 
his  mind  to  get  beyond  the  Spanish  lines  somehow,  and  to 
bring  in  a  boat-load  of  oranges  for  the  use  of  the  women 
and  children  who  were  suffering  from  scurvy,  that  he  knew 
his  brother-in-law  had  any  such  idea  in  his  mind. 

"It  is  a  very  gallant  attempt,  Captain  O'Halloran;  al- 
though, of  course,  I  should  not  have  permitted  it  to  be  made 
had  I  been  aware  of  his  intentions." 

"Nor  should  I,  sir,"  Captain  O'Halloran  said.  "My  wife 
is  naturally  very  much  upset." 

"That  is  natural  enough,"  the  governor  said.  "Still,  she 
has  every  reason  to  be  proud  of  her  brother,  A  man  could 
risk  his  life  for  no  higher  object  than  that  for  which  Mr. 
Repton  has  undertaken  this  expedition.  How  do  you  sup- 
pose he  got  away?  " 

"  I  have  no  idea,  sir.  He  may  have  got  down  by  ropes 
from  the  back  of  the  Rock,  the  way  the  deserters  generally 
choose." 

"Yes;  but  if  he  got  down  without  breaking  his  neck  he 
would  still  have  to  pass  our  line  of  sentries,  and  also  through 
the  Spaniards'." 

"  He  is  a  very  good  swimmer,  general,  and  may  have 
struck  out  and  landed  beyond  the  Spanish  forts.  Of  course 
he  may  have  started  from  the  old  Mole,  and  swam  across 


274  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

to  the  head  of  the  bay.  He  is  sure  to  have  thought  the 
matter  well  out.  He  is  very  sharp,  and  if  anyone  could  get 
through  I  should  say  Bob  could.  He  speaks  the  language 
like  a  native." 

"  I  have  heard  of  him  before,"  the  governor  said  smiling. 
"Captain  Langton  told  us  of  the  boy's  doings  when  he  was 
away  in  that  privateer  brig,  and  how  he  took  in  the  frigate, 
and  was  the  means  of  the  brig  capturing  those  two  valuable 
prizes,  and  how  he  had  swam  on  board  a  Spanish  sloop  of 
war.  He  said  that  no  officer  could  have  shown  greater 
pluck  and  coolness.  I  sincerely  hope  that  no  harm  will 
come  to  him;  but  how,  even  if  he  succeeds  in  getting 
through  the  Spanish  lines,  he  can  manage  single-handed  to 
get  back  here  in  a  boat,  is  more  than  I  can  see.  Well,  I 
sincerely  trust  that  no  harm  will  come  to  him." 

As  the  governor  with  two  or  three  of  his  staff  now  came 
along,  Captain  O'Halloran  went  up  to  him. 

"I  am  glad  to  say,  sir,"  he  said,  " that  young  Repton  has 
just  returned,  and  that  he  has  brought  in  thirty  cases  of 
fruit." 

"I  am  extremely  glad  to  hear  it,  Captain  O'Halloran," 
the  governor  said  warmly.  "  When  it  was  reported  to  me 
an  hour  since  that  the  Spanish  fort  and  one  of  their  cruisers 
were  firing  at  a  small  boat  that  was  making  her  way  in  from 
the  east,  the  thought  struck  me  that  it  might  be  your 
brother-in-law.     Where  is  he?" 

"  He  is  just  coming  round  to  the  Mole,  sir.  Doctor  Burke 
and  myself  are  going  to  meet  him." 

"I  will  go  down  with  you,"  the  governor  said.  "Those 
oranges  are  worth  a  thousand  pounds  a  box  to  the  sick." 

The  party  reached  the  Mole  before  the  boat  came  in,  for 
after  rounding  the  Point  she  had  been  becalmed,  and  the 
fishermen  had  lowered  the  sail  and  betaken  themselves  to 
their  oars  again.  Bob  felt  a  little  uncomfortable  when, 
as  the  boat  rowed  up  to  the  landing-stairs,  he  saw 
General  Eliott,  with  a  group  of  officers,  standing  at  the 


A   WELCOME    CARGO.  275 

top.  He  was  relieved  when  on  ascending  the  steps  the 
governor  stepped  forward  and  shook  him  warmly  by  the 
hand. 

"  I  ought  to  begin  by  scolding  you  for  breaking  out  of 
the  fortress  without  leave,  but  I  am  too  pleased  with  the 
success  of  your  venture,  and  too  much  gratified  at  the  spirit 
that  prompted  you  to  undertake  it,  to  say  a  word.  Captain 
O'Halloran  tells  me  that  you  have  brought  in  thirty  cases 
of  fruit." 

"Yes,  sir.  I  have  ten  cases  of  oranges  and  twenty  of 
lemons.  I  propose,  with  your  permission,  to  send  half  of 
these  up  to  the  hospitals  for  the  use  of  the  sick  there;  the 
others  I  intend  for  the  use  of  the  women  and  children  of  the 
garrison  and  townspeople.  Doctor  Burke  will  see  for  me 
that  they  are  distributed  where  they  will  do  most  good." 

"Well,  my  lad,  I  thank  you  most  cordially  for  your 
noble  gift  to  the  troops,  and  there  is  not  a  man  here  who 
will  not  feel  grateful  to  you  for  the  relief  it  will  afford  to 
the  women  and  children.  I  shall  be  very  glad  if  you  will 
dine  with  me  to-day,  and  you  can  then  tell  me  how  you 
have  managed  what  I  thought,  when  I  first  heard  of  your 
absence,  was  a  sheer  impossibility.  Captain  O'Halloran,  I 
trust  that  you  and  Mrs.  O'Halloran  will  also  give  me  the 
pleasure  of  your  company  at  dinner  to-day." 

"If  you  please,  sir,"  Bob  said,  "will  you  give  these  two 
boatmen  a  pass  permitting  them  to  go  out  after  dark  to- 
night. I  promised  them  that  they  should  not  be  detained. 
It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  to  them  that  they  should  get 
back  before  their  absence  is  discovered." 

"Certainly,"  the  governor  said,  and  at  once  ordered  one 
of  the  officers  of  the  staff  to  see  that  the  pass  was  given, 
and  orders  issued  to  the  officers  of  the  batteries  to  allow  the 
boat  to  pass  out  in  the  dark  unquestioned.  As  soon  as  the 
governor  walked  away  with  his  staff,  Bob  was  heartily 
greeted  by  Captain  O'Halloran  and  the  doctor. 

"You  have  given  us  a  fine  fright,  Bob,"  the  former  said, 


276  HELD    FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

"and  your  sister  has  been  in  a  desperate  way  about  you. 
However,  now  that  you  have  come  back  safe  I  suppose  she 
will  forgive  you.  But  what  about  all  those  fish?  Are  they 
yours?     Why,  there  must  be  half  a  ton  of  them !  " 

"No;  the  men  say  there  are  five  or  six  hundred  pounds. 
Yes,  they  are  mine.  I  thought  of  keeping  a  few  for  our- 
selves, and  dividing  the  rest  between  the  ten  regiments,  and 
sending  them  up  with  your  compliments  to  their  messes." 

"Not  with  my  compliments,  Bob;  that  would  be  ridi- 
culous. Send  them  up  with  your  own  compliments,  it 
will  be  a  mighty  acceptable  present.  But  you  had  better 
pick  out  two  or  three  of  the  finest  fish  and  send  them  up  to 
the  governor.  Now,  then,  let  us  set  to  work.  Here  are 
plenty  of  porters,  but  first  of  all  we  had  better  get  ten  men 
from  the  officer  of  the  guard  here,  and  send  one  off  with 
each  of  the  porters  with  the  fish  to  the  regiments,  or  the 
chances  are  that  these  baskets  will  be  a  good  bit  lighter  by 
the  time  they  arrive  there  than  when  they  start.  I  will  go 
and  ask  the  officer  while  you  are  getting  the  fish  up  here 
and  divided." 

In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  ten  porters  started,  each  with 
about  half  a  hundredweight,  and  under  the  charge  of  a  sol- 
dier. The  doctor  took  charge  of  the  porters  with  the  fifteen 
boxes  of  fruit  for  the  various  hospitals,  and  then  after  Bob 
had  paid  the  boatmen  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  due 
to  them,  and  had  told  them  they  would  get  the  permit  to 
enable  them  to  sail  again  as  soon  as  it  became  dark,  he  and 
Captain  O'Halloran  started  for  the  house,  with  the  men  in 
charge  of  the  other  fifteen  boxes,  and  with  one  carrying  the 
remaining  fish,  which  weighed  about  the  same  as  the  other 
parcels. 

"  How  did  you  and  the  doctor  happen  to  be  at  Europa 
Point,  Gerald?"  Bob  asked,  as  they  went  along. 

"The  doctor  said  he  felt  sure  that  whenever  you  did 
come,  that  is,  if  you  came  at  all,  you  would  get  here  some- 
where about  daylight,  and  he  arranged  with  the  officer  in 


A  WELCOME   CARGO.  277 

charge  of  the  upper  battery  to  send  a  man  down  with  the 
news  if  there  was  a  boat  in  sight.  Directly  he  heard  that 
the  Spaniards  were  firing  at  a  boat  he  came  over  and 
called  me,  and  we  went  round  to  the  back  of  the  Rock.  We 
couldn't  be  sure  that  it  was  you  from  that  height;  but  as 
we  could  make  out  the  boxes,  we  thought  it  must  be  you, 
and  so  walked  down  to  the  Point  to  catch  you  there." 
"Does  Carrie  know  that  a  boat  was  in  sight?  " 
"No,  I  wouldn't  say  anything  to  her  about  it.  She  had 
only  just  dropped  off  to  sleep  when  I  was  called.  She  woke 
up  and  asked  what  it  was,  but  I  said  that  I  supposed  I  was 
wanted  on  duty,  and  she  went  off  again  before  I  was  dressed. 
I  was  glad  she  did,  for  she  hadn't  closed  her  eyes  before 
since  you  started." 

Carrie  was  on  the  terrace  when  she  saw  Bob  and  Gerald, 
followed  by  a  procession  of  porters,  coming  up  the  hill. 
With  a  cry  of  joy  she  ran  down  into  the  house  and  out  to 
meet  them. 

"You  bad  boy !  "  she  cried,  as  she  threw  her  arms  round 
Bob's  neck.  "How  could  you  frighten  us  so?  It  is  very 
cruel  and  wicked  of  you,  Bob,  and  I  am  not  going  to  forgive 
you;  though  I  can't  help  being  glad  to  see  you,  which  is 
more  than  you  deserve." 

"You  mustn't  scold  him,  Carrie,"  her  husband  said. 
"Even  the  governor  didn't  scold  him,  and  he  has  thanked 
him  in  the  name  of  the  whole  garrison,  and  he  has  asked 
him  to  dine  with  him;  and  you  and  I  are  to  dine  there  too, 
Carrie.  There  is  an  honour  for  you !  But  what  is  better 
than  honour  is,  that  there  isn't  a  woman  and  child  on  the 
Rock  who  won't  be  feeling  deeply  grateful  to  Bob  before 
the  day  is  over." 

"Has  he  really  got  some  fruit?  " 
"Yes.     Don't  you  see  the  boxes,  Carrie?  " 
"Oh,  I  saw  something  coming  along,  but  I  didn't  see  any- 
thing clearly  but  Bob.     What  are  these  boxes — oranges?  " 
"  Oranges  and  lemons,  five  of  oranges,  and  ten  of  lemons, 


278  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

and  there  are  as  many  more  that  have  gone  up  to  the  hos- 
pital for  the  use  of  the  men.  There,  let  us  see  them  taken 
into  the  store-room.  You  can  open  two  of  them  at  once, 
and  send  Manola  off  with  a  big  basket,  and  tell  her  to  give 
half  a  dozen  of  each  with  your  love  to  each  of  the  ladies 
you  know.  The  doctor  will  take  charge  of  the  rest,  and  see 
about  their  division  among  all  the  women  on  the  Rock.  It 
will  be  quite  a  business,  but  he  won't  mind  it." 

"What  is  all  this— fish?" 

"Well,  my  dear,  you  are  to  take  as  much  as  you  want, 
and  you  are  to  pick  out  two  or  three  of  the  best  and  send 
them  to  the  governor  with  your  compliments,  and  the  rest 
you  can  divide  and  send  out  with  the  fruit  to  your  special 
friends." 

"But  how  has  Bob  done  it?  "  Carrie  asked,  quite  over- 
whelmed at  the  sight  of  all  those  welcome  stores. 

"Ah,  that  he  must  tell  you  himself.  I  have  no  more 
idea  than  the  man  in  the  moon." 

"  It  has  all  been  quite  simple, "  Bob  said.  "  But  see  about 
sending  these  things  off  first,  Carrie;  Doctor  Burke  will  be 
here  after  he  has  seen  the  others  taken  safely  to  the  hospital, 
and  I  shall  have  to  tell  it  all  over  again  then." 

"  I  am  very  angry  with  the  doctor,"  Mrs.  O'Halloran  said. 

"Then  the  sooner  you  get  over  being  angry  the  better, 
Carrie.  The  doctor  had  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  my 
going;  but  when  he  saw  that  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  go, 
he  helped  me,  and  I  am  extremely  obliged  to  him.  Now 
you  may  have  an  orange  for  yourself  if  you  are  good." 

"That  I  won't,"  Carrie  said.  "Thanks  to  our  eggs  and 
vegetables  we  are  perfectly  well,  and  when  there  are  so  many 
people  really  in  want  of  the  oranges,  it  would  be  down- 
right wicked  to  eat  them  merely  because  we  like  them." 

In  a  short  time  Manola,  with  two  of  the  children  from 
downstairs  carrying  baskets,  started  with  the  presents  of 
fruit  and  fish  to  all  the  ladies  of  Carrie's  acquaintance. 
Soon  after  she  had  left,  Doctor  Burke  arrived. 


A  WELCOME   CARGO.  279 

"I  was  not  going  to  speak  to  you,  Teddy  Burke,"  Mrs. 
O'Halloran  said,  shaking  her  head  at  him.  "  I  had  lost  con- 
fidence in  you;  but  with  Bob  back  again,  and  all  this  fruit 
for  the  poor  creatures  who  want  it,  I  will  forgive  you." 

"I  am  glad  you  have  grace  enough  for  that,  Mrs.  O'Hal- 
loran. It  is  down  on  your  knees  you  ought  to  go  to  thank 
me,  if  I  had  my  rights.  Isn't  Bob  a  hero,  and  hasn't  he 
received  the  thanks  of  the  governor,  and  hasn't  he  saved 
scores  of  lives  this  blessed  day,  and  although  it  is  little 
enough  I  had  to  do  with  it,  isn't  it  the  thanks  of  the  whole 
garrison  ought  to  be  given  me  for  even  the  little  bit  of  a 
share  I  had  in  it?  " 

"We  have  been  waiting  for  you  to  come,  Teddy,"  Cap- 
tain O'Halloran  said,  "to  hear  Bob's  story." 

"Well,  then,  you  will  have  to  wait  a  bit  longer,"  the 
doctor  said.  "  I  have  sent  orderlies  from  the  hospital  to  all 
the  regiments,  including  of  course  the  Artillery  and  En- 
gineers, asking  them  to  send  me  lists  of  the  numbers  of  the 
women  and  children  of  the  non-commissioned  officers  and 
privates,  and  also  of  officers'  wives  and  families,  and  to  send 
with  the  lists  here  two  orderlies  from  each  regiment  with 
baskets.  I  have  been  down  to  the  town-major,  and  got  a 
list  of  the  number  of  women  and  children  in  the  town. 
When  we  get  the  returns  from  the  regiments  we  will  reckon 
up  the  totals,  and  see  how  many  there  will  be  for  each.  I 
think  that  each  of  the  boxes  holds  about  five  hundred." 

The  work  of  counting  out  the  oranges  and  lemons  for  the 
various  regiments  and  the  townspeople  occupied  some  time, 
and  it  was  not  until  the  orderlies  had  started  with  their 
supplies  that  Bob  sat  down  to  tell  his  story. 

"Nothing  could  have  been  easier,"  he  said  when  he 
finished. 

"It  was  easy  enough,  as  you  say,  Bob,"  the  doctor  said; 
"but  it  required  a  lot  of  coolness  and  presence  of  mind. 
Events  certainly  turned  out  fortunately  for  you,  but  you 
took  advantage  of  them.    That  is  always  the  point.     Nobody 


280  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

could  have  done  it  better,  and  most  people  would  have  done 
worse.  I  have  been  wondering  myself  a  great  deal  since 
you  have  been  gone  what  plan  you  could  possibly  hit  on  to 
get  the  oranges  into  a  boat,  and  how,  when  you  had  got 
them  in,  you  would  manage  to  get  them  here.  It  seems  all 
easy  enough  now  you  have  done  it;  but  that  is  all  the  more 
creditable  to  you  for  hitting  on  a  plan  that  worked  so 
well." 

Similar  praise  was  given  to  Bob  when  he  had  again  to  tell 
his  story  at  the  governor's. 

"  So  you  managed,  you  say,  to  slip  out  with  the  reliefs?  " 
the  governor  said. 

"Yes,  sir.     I  had  got  a  military  cloak  and  hat." 

"Still  it  is  curious  that  they  did  not  notice  an  addition  to 
their  party.     I  fancy  you  must  have  had  a  friend  there?  " 

"That,  general,  is  a  point  that  I  would  rather  not  say 
anything  about.  That  is  the  way  that  I  did  go  out;  and 
when  I  took  to  the  water  I  let  the  coat  and  hat  float  away, 
for  had  they  been  found  it  might  have  been  supposed  that 
somebody  had  deserted." 

"I  wish  you  could  have  brought  in  a  ship-load  instead  of 
a  boat-load  of  fruit,  Mr.  Repton.  They  will  be  of  immense 
benefit  to  the  sick;  but  unfortunately  there  is  scarcely  a  per- 
son on  the  Rock  that  is  not  more  or  less  affected,  and  if  your 
thirty  boxes  were  multiplied  by  a  hundred  it  would  be 
none  too  much  for  our  needs." 

The  oranges  and  lemons  did,  however,  for  a  time  have  a 
marked  effect  in  checking  the  progress  of  the  scurvy,  especi- 
ally among  the  children,  who  came  in  for  a  larger  share 
than  that  which  fell  to  the  sick  soldiers,  but  in  another 
month  the  condition  of  those  in  hospital,  and  indeed  of 
many  who  still  managed  to  do  duty,  was  again  pitiable.  On 
the  nth  of  October,  however,  some  of  the  boats  of  the  fleet 
went  out  during  a  fog  and  boarded  a  Danish  craft  from 
Malaga  laden  with  oranges  and  lemons  and  brought  her  in. 
The  cargo  was  at  once  bought  by  the  governor  and  distri- 


A   WELCOME   CARGO.  281 

buted.  The  beneficial  effects  were  immediate.  Cases  which 
had  but  a  few  days  before  appeared  hopeless,  were  cured  as 
if  by  magic,  and  the  health  of  the  whole  garrison  was  re- 
established. Heavy  rains  setting  in  at  the  same  time,  the 
gardens,  upon  which  for  months  great  attention  had  been 
bestowed,  came  rapidly  into  bearing,  and  henceforth 
throughout  the  siege  the  supply  of  vegetables,  if  not  ample 
for  the  needs  of  the  garrison  and  inhabitants,  was  sufficient 
to  prevent  scurvy  from  getting  any  strong  hold  again. 

A  few  days  after  the  ship  with  oranges  was  brought  in, 
an  orderly  came  in  to  Captain  O'Halloran  with  a  message 
that  the  governor  wished  to  speak  to  Mr.  Repton.  Bob 
was  out  at  the  time,  but  went  up  to  the  castle  as  soon  as  he 
returned,  and  was  at  once  shown  in  to  the  governor. 

"Mr.  Repton,"  the  latter  began,  "after  the  spirit  you 
showed  the  other  day  I  shall  be  glad  to  utilize  your  services 
still  farther,  if  you  are  willing." 

"  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  be  useful  in  any  work  upon  which 
you  may  think  fit  to  employ  me,  sir." 

"  I  wish  to  communicate  with  Mr.  Logie  at  Tangiers,"  the 
governor  said.  "  It  is  a  month  now  since  we  have  had  any 
news  from  him.  At  the  time  he  last  wrote  he  said  that  the 
Emperor  of  Morocco  was  manifesting  an  unfriendly  spirit 
towards  us,  and  that  he  was  certainly  in  close  communi- 
cation with  the  Spaniards,  and  had  allowed  their  ships  to  take 
more  than  one  English  vessel  lying  under  the  guns  of  the 
town.  His  own  position  was,  he  said,  little  better  than  that 
of  a  prisoner,  for  he  was  closely  watched.  He  still  hoped, 
however,  to  bring  the  emperor  round  again  to  our  side,  as  he 
had  for  years  exercised  a  considerable  influence  over  him. 
If  he  would  grant  him  an  interview,  Mr.  Logie  thought  that 
he  might  still  be  able  to  clear  up  any  doubts  of  us  that  the 
Spaniards  might  have  infused  in  his  mind. 

"  Since  that  letter  we  have  heard  nothing  from  him,  and 
we  are  ignorant  how  matters  stand  over  there.  The  matter 
is  important;  for  although,  while  the  enemy's  cruisers  are 


282  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

as  vigilant  as  at  present,  there  is  little  hope  of  our  getting 
fresh  meat  over  from  there,  I  am  unable  to  give  any  direc- 
tions to  such  privateers  or  others  as  may  find  their  way  in 
here.  It  makes  all  the  difference  to  them  whether  the 
Morocco  ports  are  open  to  them  or  not.  Until  lately,  when 
chased  they  could  run  in  there,  wait  for  a  brisk  east  wind, 
and  then  start  after  dark,  and  be  fairly  through  the  Straits 
before  morning.  I  am  very  desirous,  therefore,  of  commu- 
nicating with  Mr.  Logie.  I  am  also  anxious,  not  only  about 
his  safety,  but  of  that  of  several  English  families  there, 
among  whom  are  those  of  some  of  the  officers  of  the  garri- 
son, who,  thinking  that  they  would  be  perfectly  safe  in 
Tangiers,  and  avoid  the  hardships  and  dangers  of  the 
siege,  despatched  them  across  the  Straits  by  the  native 
craft  that  came  in  when  first  the  port  was  closed. 

"Thinking  it  over,  it  appeared  to  me  that  you  would  be 
far  more  fitted  than  most  for  this  mission,  if  you  would 
accept  it.  You  have  already  shown  yourself  able  to  pass  as 
a  Spaniard;  and  should  you  find  that  things  have  gone 
badly  in  Tangiers,  and  that  the  Moors  have  openly  joined 
the  Spaniards,  you  might  be  able  to  get  a  passage  to  Lisbon 
in  a  neutral  ship,  and  to  return  thence  in  the  first  priva- 
teer or  ship-of-war  bound  for  this  port.  I  could  of  course 
provide  you  with  a  document  requesting  the  officer  in 
command  of  any  such  ship  to  give  you  a  passage.  Should 
no  such  neutral  ship  come  along,  I  should  trust  to  you  to 
find  your  way  across  to  Tarifa  or  Algeciras,  and  thence  to 
manage  in  some  way,  which  I  must  leave  to  your  own  in- 
genuity, to  make  your  way  in.  I  do  not  disguise  from  you 
that  the  commission  is  a  very  dangerous  as  well  as  an  hon- 
ourable one,  as,  were  you,  an  Englishman,  detected  on  Span- 
ish soil,  you  would  almost  certainly  be  executed  as  a  spy." 

"  I  am  ready  to  undertake  the  commission,  sir,  and  I  am 
much  obliged  to  you  for  affording  me  the  opportunity  of 
being  of  service.  It  is  irksome  for  me  to  remain  here  in 
idleness  when  there  are  many  young  officers  of  my  own  age 


A   WELCOME    CARGO.  283 

doing  duty  in  the  batteries.  As  to  the  risk,  I  am  quite 
prepared  to  run  it.  It  will  be  exactly  such  an  adventure 
as  I  should  choose." 

"Very  well,  Mr.  Repton.  Then  I  will  send  you  the  de- 
spatches this  evening,  together  with  a  letter  recommending 
you  to  all  British  officers  and  authorities.  Both  will  be 
written  on  the  smallest  pieces  of  paper  possible,  so  that  you 
may  conceal  them  more  easily.  Now,  as  to  the  means. 
There  are  many  of  the  fishermen  here  would  be  glad  to 
leave.  The  firing  in  the  bay  has  frightened  the  greater  part 
of  the  fish  away,  and,  besides,  the  boats  dare  not  go  any 
distance  from  the  Rock.  I  have  caused  inquiries  to  be 
made,  and  have  given  permits  to  three  men  to  leave  the 
Rock  in  a  boat  after  nightfall,  and  to  take  their  chances  of 
getting  through  the  enemy's  cruisers.  It  is  likely  to  be  a 
very  dark  -night.  I  have  arranged  with  them  to  take  a 
passenger  across  to  Tangiers,  and  have  given  them  permis- 
sion to  take  two  others  with  them. 

"We  know  that  there  are  many  Jews  and  others  most 
anxious  to  leave  the  town  before  the  enemy  begin  to  bom- 
bard it,  and  the  men  will  doubtless  get  a  good  price  from  two 
of  these  to  carry  them  across  the  Straits.  You  will  form  an 
idea  for  yourself  whether  these  boatmen  are  trustworthy. 
If  you  conclude  that  they  are  you  can  make  a  bargain  with 
them,  or  with  any  others,  to  bring  you  back  direct.  I 
authorize  you  to  offer  them  a  hundred  pounds  for  doing  so. 
Come  up  here  at  eight  o'clock  this  evening.  I  will  have  the 
despatches  ready  for  you  then.  You  will  understand  that 
if  you  find  the  Moors  have  become  absolutely  hostile,  and 
have  a  difficulty  in  getting  at  Mr.  Logie,  you  are  not  to  run 
any  risk  in  trying  to  deliver  the  despatches,  as  the  informa- 
tion you  will  be  able  to  obtain  will  be  sufficient  for  me 
without  any  confirmation  from  him." 

After  further  conversation  Bob  took  his  leave  of  the 
governor.  On  his  return  home  Carrie  was  very  vexed  when 
she  heard  the  mission  that  Bob  had  undertaken,  and  at  first 


284  HELD    FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

it  needed  all  her  husband's  persuasions  to  prevent  her  going 
off  to  the  governor's  to  protest  against  it. 

"  Why,  my  dear,  you  would  make  both  yourself  and  Bob 
ridiculous.  Surely  he  is  of  an  age  now  to  go  his  own  way 
without  petticoat  government.  He  has  already  gained  great 
credit  both  in  his  affair  with  the  privateer  and  in  fetching 
in  the  oranges  the  other  day.  This  is  far  less  dangerous. 
Here  he  has  only  got  to  smuggle  himself  in,  there  he  had 
to  bring  back  something  like  a  ton  of  oranges.  It  is  a  great 
honour  for  the  governor  to  have  chosen  him.  And  as  to 
you  opposing  it,  the  idea  is  absurd!  " 

"  I  shall  go  round  to  Major  Harcourt,"  Bob  said.  "  Mrs. 
Harcourt  is  terribly  anxious  about  her  daughter,  and  I  am 
sure  she  will  be  glad  to  send  a  letter  over  to  her." 

"Carrie,"  Captain  O'Halloran  said  gravely,  "I  have  be- 
come a  sudden  convert  to  your  opinion  regarding  this  expe- 
dition. Suppose  that  Bob,  instead  of  coming  back,  were  to 
carry  Amy  Harcourt  off  to  England,  it  would  be  terrible ! 
I  believe  that  Mr.  Logie,  as  His  Majesty's  consul,  could 
perform  the  necessary  ceremony  before  they  sailed." 

Bob  laughed. 

"  I  should  doubt  whether  Mr.  Logie  would  have  power  to 
officiate  in  the  case  of  minors.  Besides,  there  is  an  English 
church  where  the  banns  could  be  duly  published.  No.  I 
think  we  must  put  that  off,  Gerald." 

Amy  Harcourt  was  the  daughter  of  one  of  the  O'Hal- 
lorans'  most  intimate  friends,  and  the  girl,  who  was  about 
fifteen  years  old,  was  often  at  their  house  with  her  mother. 
She  had  suffered  much  from  the  heat  early  in  June,  and  her 
parents  had,  at  a  time  when  the  Spanish  cruisers  had  some- 
what relaxed  their  vigilance,  sent  her  across  to  Tangiers 
in  one  of  the  traders.  She  was  in  the  charge  of  Mrs. 
Colomb,  the  wife  of  an  officer  of  the  regiment,  who  was  also 
going  across  for  her  health.  They  intended  to  stay  at  Tan- 
giers only  for  a  month  or  six  weeks,  but  Mrs.  Colomb  had 
become  worse,  and  was,  when  the  last  news  came  across,  too 


A    WELCOME    CARGO.  285 

ill  to  be  moved.  Major  and  Mrs.  Harcourt  had  consequently 
become  very  anxious  about  Amy,  the  feeling  being  much 
heightened  by  the  rumours  of  the  hostile  attitude  of  the 
emperor  towards  the  English.  Mrs.  Harcourt  gladly  availed 
herself  of  the  opportunity  that  Bob's  mission  offered. 

"I  shall  be  glad  indeed  if  you  will  take  a  letter,  Mr. 
Repton.  I  am  in  great  trouble  about  her.  If  anything 
should  happen  to  Mrs.  Colomb  her  position  would  be  ex- 
tremely awkward.  I  know  that  Mr.  Logie  will  do  the  best 
he  can  for  her,  but  for  aught  we  know  he  and  all  the  Eng- 
lish there  may  at  present  be  prisoners  among  the  Moors. 
I  need  not  say  how  bitterly  her  father  and  I  have  re- 
gretted that  we  let  her  go,  and  yet  it  seemed  by  far  the  best 
thing  at  the  time,  for  she  would  get  an  abundance  of  fresh 
meat,  food,  and  vegetables.  Of  course  you  will  see  how  she 
is  situated  when  you  get  there,  and  I  am  sure  you  will  give 
her  the  best  advice  you  can  as  to  what  she  is  to  do.  Not 
knowing  how  they  are  placed  there  we  can  do  literally 
nothing,  and  you  managed  that  fruit  business  so  splendidly 
that  I  feel  very  great  confidence  in  you." 

"  I  am  sure  I  shall  be  glad  to  do  anything  that  I  can, 
Mrs.  Harcourt,  and  if  it  had  been  a  boy  I  daresay  we  could 
have  managed  something  between  us,  but  you  see  girls  are 
different." 

"Oh,  you  won't  find  any  difficulty  with  her.  I  often  tell 
her  she  is  as  much  of  a  boy  at  present  as  she  is  a  girl.  Amy 
has  plenty  of  sense.  I  shall  tell  her  in  my  letter  about  your 
going  out  to  fetch  in  the  fruit  for  the  women  and  children. 
She  is  inclined  to  look  up  to  you  very  much  already,  owing 
to  the  share  you  had  in  the  capture  of  those  Spanish  vessels, 
and  I  am  sure  she  will  listen  to  any  advice  you  give  her." 

"Well,  I  will  do  my  best,  Mrs.  Harcourt,"  Bob  said 
meekly;  "but  I  have  never  had  anything  to  do  with  girls 
except  my  sister,  and  she  gives  the  advice  always  and  not 
me." 

"By  what  she  says,  Bob,  I  don't  think  you  always  take 
it,"  Mrs.  Harcourt  said  smiling. 


286  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

"Well,  not  quite  always,"  Bob  admitted.  "Women  are 
constantly  afraid  that  you  are  going  to  hurt  yourself  or 
something,  just  as  if  a  boy  had  got  no  sense.  Well,  I  will 
do  what  I  can,  Mrs.  Harcourt.  I  am  sure  I  hope  that  I 
shall  find  them  all  right  over  there." 

"  I  hope  so,  too,"  Mrs.  Harcourt  said.  "  I  will  see  Captain 
Colomb.  He  will  be  sure  to  give  you  a  letter  for  his  wife. 
I  shall  talk  it  over  with  him,  and  if  he  thinks  that  she  had 
better  go  straight  home  if  any  opportunity  offers  I  shall  tell 
Amy  to  go  with  her,  and  stay  with  my  sister  at  Gloucester 
till  the  siege  is  over  and  then  she  can  come  out  again  to  us. 
I  will  bring  you  down  the  letters  myself  at  seven  o'clock." 

From  her  Bob  went  to  Dr.  Burke. 

"I  have  just  come  from  your  house,  Bob.  I  found  your 
sister  in  a  despondent  .state  about  you.  I  assured  her  you 
had  as  many  lives  as  a  cat,  and  could  only  be  considered  to 
have  used  up  two  or  three  of  them  yet,  and  were  safe  for 
some  years  to  come.  I  hinted  that  you  had  more  to  fear 
from  a  rope  than  either  drowning  or  shooting.  That  made 
her  angry,  and  did  her  good.  However,  it  was  better  for 
me  to  be  off,  and  I  thought  most  likely  that  you  would  be 
coming  round  for  a  talk.  So  you  are  going  officially  this 
time.     Well,  what  disguise  are  you  going  to  take?  " 

"That  is  what  I  have  been  thinking  of.  What  would 
you  recommend,  doctor?" 

"Well,  the  choice  is  not  a  very  extensive  one.  You  can 
hardly  go  as  you  are,  because  if  the  Moors  have  joined  the 
Spaniards  you  would  be  arrested  as  soon  as  you  landed. 
Gerald  tells  me  that  probably  two  of  the  Jew  traders  will 
go  away  with  you.  If  so  I  should  say  you  could  not  do 
better  than  dress  in  their  style.  There  are  many  of  them 
Rock  scorpions  and  talk  Spanish  and  English  equally  well; 
but  I  should  say  that  you  had  better  take  another  disguise." 

"That  is  what  I  was  thinking,"  Bob  said.  "The  boat- 
man will  know  that  I  have  something  to  do  with  the  gover- 
nor and  the  two  Jews  will  certainly  know  that  I  don't  belong 


A   WELCOME   CARGO.  287 

to  the  Rock.  If  they  find  that  the  Moors  have  joined  the 
Spaniards  these  Jews  may  try  to  get  through  themselves 
by  denouncing  me.  I  should  say  I  had  better  get  clothes 
with  which  I  can  pass  as  a  Spanish  sailor  or  fisherman. 
There  are  almost  sure  to  be  Spanish  ships  in  there;  there  is 
a  good  deal  of  trade  between  Tangiers  and  Spain.  Then 
again  I  shall  want  my  own  clothes  if  I  have  to  take  passage 
in  a  neutral  to  Lisbon.  So  I  should  say  that  I  had  better 
go  down  to  the  town  and  get  a  sort  of  trader's  suit  and  a 
fisherman's  at  one  of  the  low  slop-shops.  Then  I  will  go  as 
a  trader  to  start  with  and  carry  the  other  two  suits  in  a 
bag." 

"That  will  be  a  very  good  plan,  Bob.  You  are  not  likely 
to  be  noticed  much  when  you  land.  There  are  always 
ships  anchored  there  waiting  for  a  wjnd  to  carry  them  out. 
They  must  be  accustomed  to  sailors  of  all  sorts  of  nationali- 
ties in  the  streets.  However,  I  hope  you  will  find  no  occa- 
sion for  any  clothes  after  you  land  but  your  own.  The 
Moors  have  always  been  good  friends  of  ours,  and  the  em- 
peror must  know  that  the  Spaniards  are  very  much  more 
dangerous  neighbours  than  we  are,  and  I  can  hardly  believe 
he  will  be  fool  enough  to  throw  us  over.  I  will  go  down 
with  you  to  buy  these  things." 

Bob  had  no  difficulty  in  procuring  the  clothes  he  required 
at  a  second-hand  shop,  and  then  took  the  lot  home  with  him. 
Carrie  had  by  this  time  become  more  reconciled  to  what 
could  not  be  avoided,  and  she  laughed  when  Dr.  Burke 
came  in. 

"You  are  like  a  bad  penny,  Teddy  Burke.  It  is  no  use 
trying  to  get  rid  of  you." 

"Not  the  least  bit  in  the  world,  Mrs.  O'Halloran.  For- 
tunately, I  know  that,  however  hard  you  are  upon  me,  you 
don't  mean  what  you  say." 

"  I  do  mean  it  very  much,  but  after  you  are  gone  I  say  to 
myself,  'It  is  only  Teddy  Burke,'  and  think  no  more  of  it." 

That  evening  at  nine  o'clock  Bob  embarked  on  board  the 


288  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

fishing-boat  at  the  New  Mole.  One  of  the  governor's  aides- 
de-camp  accompanied  him  to  pass  him  through  all  the 
guards,  and  orders  had  been  sent  to  the  officers  in  command 
of  the  various  batteries  that  the  boat  was  not  to  be  chal- 
lenged. It  was  to  show  a  light  from  a  lantern  as  it  went 
along,  in  order  that  it  might  be  known.  The  other  two 
passengers  and  the  boatmen  had  been  sitting  there  since 
before  gun-fire,  and  they  were  glad  enough  when  Bob  came 
down  and  took  his  seat  in  the  stern,  taking  the  tiller  ropes. 
The  oars  had  been  muffled,  and  they  put  off  noiselessly. 
When  they  got  past  Europa  Point  they  found  a  light  breeze 
blowing,  and  at  once  laid  in  their  oars  and  hoisted  sail.  A 
vigilant  look-out  was  kept.  Once  or  twice  they  thought 
they  made  out  the  hulls  of  anchored  vessels,  but  they  gave 
these  a  wide  berth,  and  when  the  morning  broke  were  half- 
way across  the  Strait,  heading  directly  for  Tangiers.  In 
another  six  hours  they  entered  the  port. 

There  were  half  a  dozen  vessels  lying  in  the  harbour.  Four 
of  these  were  flying  Spanish  colours,  one  was  a  Dane,  and 
the  other  a  Dutchman.  From  the  time  morning  broke  Bob 
had  been  narrowly  examining  his  fellow-passengers  and  the 
boatmen,  and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  none  of  them 
were  to  be  trusted.  As  soon  as  he  stepped  ashore  with 
his  bag  in  his  hand  he  walked  swiftly  away,  and  passing 
through  the  principal  streets,  which  were  crowded  with 
Moors,  held  steadily  on  without  speaking  to  anyone  until 
he  reached  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  and  then  struck  off 
among  the  hedges  and  gardens. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

bob's  mission. 

AS  soon  as  he  found  a  secluded  spot  he  stripped  off  the 
clothes  he  wore  and  put  on  those  of  a  Spanish  sailor, 
and  then,  placing  the  others  in  the  bag,  buried  it  in  the 
sandy  soil,  taking  particular  note  of  its  position  in  regard 
to  trees  and  surrounding  objects,  so  as  to  be  able  to  find  it 
again.  Then  he  turned  to  the  right,  and  skirted  the  town 
till  he  came  down  to  the  sea-shore  again,  and  then  strolled 
quietly  back  to  the  quays.  In  passing  by  the  ships  at 
anchor  he  had  noticed  the  names  of  the  four  Spaniards,  and 
after  wandering  about  for  a  short  time  he  entered  a  wine- 
shop, and  seated  himself  at  a  table  near  one  at  which  three 
Spanish  sailors  sat  drinking. 

From  their  talk  he  learned  that  the  British  were  shortly 
to  be  turned  out  of  Tangiers,  that  the  town  was  to  be 
given  up  to  the  Spaniards,  and  that  the  British  consul  had 
the  day  before  been  taken  to  Sallee,  where  the  emperor  now 
was.  The  English  in  the  town  had  not  yet  been  made 
prisoners,  but  it  was  believed  that  they  would  be  seized  and 
handed  over  to  the  Spaniards  without  delay.  Having  ob- 
tained this  information,  Bob  saw  that,  at  any  rate  for  the 
present,  he  might  if  he  chose  appear  in  his  own  character, 
and  regretted  that  he  had  buried  his  clothes  before  know- 
ing how  matters  stood.  However,  there  was  no  help  for  it 
but  to  go  back  to  the  place  where  he  had  hidden  them. 
This  he  did,  and  having  put  on  his  own  clothes  he  went 
straight  to  the  consulate,  which  was  a  large  house  facing 
the  port.     A  clerk  was  sitting  in  the  office. 


290  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

"I  understand  Mr.  Logie  is  away,"  Bob  said. 

The  clerk  looked  surprised,  for  he  knew  the  whole  of  the 
small  body  of  British  residents  well,  and  he  could  not  under- 
stand how  Bob  could  have  arrived. 

"  I  am  the  bearer  of  letters  to  him  from  Governor  Eliott," 
Bob  said.  "  I  came  across  by  boat,  and  landed  two  hours 
ago;  but  I  was  in  disguise,  not  knowing  how  matters  stood 
here,  and  have  but  now  ascertained  that  so  far  the  English 
are  not  prisoners." 

"Not  at  present,"  the  clerk  said.  "But  will  you  come 
into  the  house,  sir?     We  may  be  disturbed  here." 

"  In  the  first  place,"  Bob  asked  when  they  were  seated  in 
an  inner  room,  "  when  do  you  expect  Mr.  Logie  back,  and 
what  is  the  real  situation?  My  orders  are,  if  I  cannot  see 
Mr.  Logie  himself,  that  I  am  to  obtain  as  accurate  a  state- 
ment as  possible  as  to  how  matters  are  going  on  here,  as 
it  is  important  that  the  governor  should  be  able  to  inform 
vessels  sailing  from  Gibraltar  east  whether  they  can  or  can 
not  put  safely  into  the  Moorish  ports.  Of  course  we  know 
that  vessels  have  been  several  times  taken  by  the  Spaniards 
while  at  anchor  close  to  the  towns,  but  they  might  risk  that 
if  there  were  no  danger  from  the  Moors  themselves;  but  if 
the  reports  last  sent  by  Mr.  Logie  are  confirmed,  the  Moors 
would  be  openly  at  war  with  us,  and  would  themselves  seize 
and  make  prizes  of  vessels  anchoring.  The  danger  would, 
of  course,  be  vastly  greater  thaii  that  of  merely  running  the 
risk  of  capture  if  a  Spanish  vessel  of  war  happened  to  come 
into  a  port  where  they  were  at  anchor.  Of  course  I  am 
merely  expressing  the  views  of  the  governor. ' ' 

"I  am  sorry  to  say,"  the  clerk  said,  "that  there  is  no 
doubt  the  Moors  are  about  to  join  the  Spaniards  in  formal 
alliance  against  us.  Englishmen  are  liable  to  insult  as  they 
go  through  the  street.  This,  however,  would  not  go  for 
much  by  itself,  but  last  week  a  number  of  soldiers  rushed 
into  the  office,  seized  Mr.  Logie,  violently  assaulted  him, 
spat  upon  him,  and  otherwise  insulted  him,  acting,  as  they 


bob's  mission.  291 

said,  by  the  express  order  of  the  emperor  himself.  He  is 
now  practically  a  prisoner,  having  been  taken  under  an  escort 
to  Sallee,  and  at  any  moment  the  whole  of  the  British  colony 
here  may  be  seized  and  thrown  into  prison ;  and  if  you  know 
what  Moorish  prisons  are,  you  would  know  that  that  would 
mean  death  to  most  of  them,  certainly  I  should  say  to  all 
the  ladies." 

"But  can  they  not  leave  in  neutral  vessels?  " 
"  No.  The  strictest  orders  have  been  issued  against  any 
Englishman  leaving;  they  are,  in  fact,  so  far  prisoners, 
although  nominally  at  liberty  to  move  about  the  town.  I 
believe  that  the  greater  part  of  the  Moors  regret  extremely 
the  course  their  emperor  has  taken.  Many  have  come  in 
here  after  dark  to  assure  Mr.  Logie  how  deeply  averse  they 
were  to  this  course,  for  that  the  sympathies  of  the  population 
in  general  were  naturally  with  the  English  in  their  struggle 
against  the  Spaniards,  who  had  for  all  time  been  the  deadly 
foe  of  the  Moors.  Unfortunately,  the  emperor  has  supreme 
power,  and  anyone  who  ventured  to  murmur  against  his 
will  would  have  his  head  stuck  up  over  a  gate  in  no  time; 
so  that  the  sympathy  of  the  population  does  not  count  for 
much." 

"How  many  English  are  there  altogether?  " 
"A  hundred  and  four;  we  made  up  the  list  last  week. 
Of  course  that  includes  men,  women,  and  children.  There 
are  some  ten  merchants,  most  of  whom  have  one  or  two 
clerks,  the  rest  of  the  men  are  small  traders  and  shopkeepers. 
Some  of  them  make  their  living  by  supplying  ships  that  put 
in  here  with  necessaries;  a  few,  at  ordinary  times,  trade 
with  the  Rock  in  live  stock ;  half  a  dozen  or  so  keep  stores, 
where  they  sell  English  goods  to  the  natives." 

"  I  have  a  mission  to  discharge  to  a  Mrs.  Colomb,  or  at 
least  to  a  young  lady  living  with  her." 

"Mrs.  Colomb,  I  regret  to  say,  died  three  weeks  ago," 
the  clerk  said.  "Miss  Harcourt,  who  is,  I  suppose,  the 
young  lady  you  mean,  is  now,  with  Mrs.  Colomb 's  servant, 


292  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

staying  here.  Mr.  Logie  had  placed  them  in  lodgings  in  the 
house  of  a  Moorish  trader  just  outside  the  town,  but  the 
young  lady  could  not  remain  there  alone  after  Mrs.  Colomb's 
death.  I  will  ring  the  bell  and  tell  the  servant  to  inform 
her  that  you  are  here." 

Ten  minutes  later  Bob  was  shown  into  a  large  sitting- 
room  on  the  first  floor,  with  a  verandah  overlooking  the  sea. 

"Oh,  Bob  Repton,  I  am  glad  to  see  you !  "  Amy  Harcourt 
exclaimed,  coming  forward  impulsively  with  both  hands 
held  out.  "  It  is  dreadfully  lonely  here.  Mr.  Logie  is  away, 
and  poor  Mrs.  Colomb  is  dead,  and  as  for  Mrs.  Williams  she 
does  nothing  but  cry,  and  say  we  are  all  going  to  be  shut  up 
and  starved  in  a  Moorish  prison.  But  first,  how  are  father 
and  mother,  and  everyone  at  the  Rock?  " 

"They  are  all  quite  well,  Amy,  though  your  mother  has 
been  in  a  great  state  of  anxiety  about  you  since  she  got  your 
letter  saying  how  ill  Mrs.  Colomb  was.  Here  is  a  letter  she 
has  given  me  for  you."  He  handed  the  girl  the  letter  and 
went  out  on  to  the  verandah  while  she  read  it. 

"Mamma  says  I  am  to  act  upon  Mr.  Bogie's  advice,  and 
that,  if  by  any  means  he  should  not  be  in  a  position  to 
advise  me,  I  am  to  take  your  advice  if  Mrs.  Colomb  is  dead." 

"I  don't  think  I  am  in  a  position  to  give  you  advice, 
Amy.  What  did  Mr.  Logie  say  about  the  state  of  affairs 
before  he  went  away?  " 

"  He  seemed  to  think  things  were  going  on  very  badly. 
You  know  the  soldiers  rushed  in  here  and  assaulted  him 
one  day  last  week.  They  said  they  had  orders  from  the 
emperor  to  do  so;  and  Mr.  Logie  said  they  certainly  would 
not  have  dared  to  molest  the  British  consul  if  it  hadn't  been 
by  the  emperor's  orders.  He  was  talking  to  me  about  it  the 
day  before  they  took  him  away  to  Sallee,  and  he  said  he 
would  give  anything  if  he  could  get  me  away  to  the  Rock, 
for  that  the  position  here  was  very  precarious,  and  that  the 
emperor  might  at  any  moment  order  all  the  English  to  be 
thrown  into  prison,  and  I  know  that  the  servants  expect 


bob's  mission.  293 

we  shall  all  be  killed  by  the  populace.  They  have  fright- 
ened Mrs.  Williams  nearly  out  of  her  senses.  I  never  saw 
such  a  foolish  woman.  She  does  nothing  but  cry.  She  is 
the  wife,  you  know,  of  Captain  Colomb's  soldier  servant. 
Well,  what  do  you  advise,  Bob?" 

"I  am  sure  I  don't  know  what  to  advise,  Amy.  This 
seems  a  regular  fix,  doesn't  it?  " 

"But  you  are  just  as  badly  off  as  I  am,"  she  said.  "If 
they  seize  everyone  else,  of  course  they  will  seize  you  now 
you  are  here." 

"Oh,  I  could  get  away  easily  enough,"  Bob  said.  "I 
should  dress  myself  up  as  a  Spanish  sailor.  I  have  got  the 
clothes  here,  and  should  boldly  go  on  board  one  of  the 
Spanish  ships  and  take  passage  across  to  any  port  they  are 
going  to,  and  then  manage  to  work  round  into  Gibraltar 
again.     But  of  course  you  can't  do  that." 

"I  couldn't  go  as  a  Spanish  sailor,  of  course,"  the  girl 
said,  "but  I  might  dress  up  and  go  somehow;  anything 
would  be  better  than  waiting  here,  and  then  being  thrown 
into  one  of  their  dreadful  prisons.  They  say  they  are  awful 
places.  Do  take  me,  Bob  Repton.  I  do  so  want  to  get 
back  to  father  and  mother  again,  and  I  am  quite  well  and 
strong  now — as  well  as  ever  I  was." 

Bob  looked  at  the  girl  with  a  puzzled  expression  of  face. 
He  had  promised  her  mother  to  do  the  best  thing  he  could 
for  her.  The  question  was,  What  was  the  best  thing?  It 
certainly  seemed  that  the  position  here  was  a  very  perilous 
one.  If  he  left  her  here  and  harm  befell  her,  what  would 
her  parents  say  to  him?  But,  on  the  other  hand,  how  on 
earth  was  he  to  get  her  away? 

"I  tell  you  what,  Amy,"  he  said,  after  a  time.  "Who 
were  the  ladies  Mrs.  Colomb  saw  most  of?  I  suppose  she 
knew  some  of  the  people  here?  " 

"Oh,  yes,  she  knew  several;  but  she  was  most  intimate 
with  Mrs.  Hamber.  She  is  the  wife  of  one  of  the  principal 
merchants,  and  is  very  kind.     She  offered  to  take  me  in 


294  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

when  Mrs.  Colomb  died ;  but  her  husband  lives  out  of  the 
town,  and  Mr.  Logie  had  promised  Mrs.  Colomb  that  he 
would  look  after  me  until  he  could  send  me  across;  besides, 
Mrs.  Hamber's  child  is  very  ill  with  fever,  and  so  he  brought 
me  here." 

"Well,  I  will  go  and  consult  her,"  Bob  said.  "I  daresay 
the  clerk  downstairs  will  send  a  man  with  me  to  show  me 
her  house." 

Mrs.  Hamber  listened  to  Bob's  account  of  his  mission, 
asking  a  question  now  and  again  in  a  straightforward  and 
decided  way,  which  gave  Bob  an  idea  that  she  was  a  reso- 
lute sort  of  woman,  with  plenty  of  common  sense. 

"Well,  Mr.  Repton,"  she  said,  when  he  had  finished,  "it 
is  a  difficult  matter  for  anyone  but  the  girl's  mother  to  form 
an  opinion  upon.  I  remember  hearing  from  Mrs.  Colomb 
about  your  going  out  and  bringing  in  fruit  when  the  scurvy 
was  so  bad  two  months  ago.  She  had  received  the  news 
no  doubt  from  her  husband,  and  therefore  it  seems  to  me 
that  you  must  be  a  very  capable  young  gentleman,  with 
plenty  of  courage  and  coolness.  The  fact  that  Mrs.  Harcourt 
gave  you  such  a  message  as  she  did  regarding  her  daughter, 
shows  that  she  has  every  confidence  in  you.  If  the  girl 
were  a  year  or  two  older,  I  should  say  it  would  be  quite  out 
of  the  question  for  her  to  attempt  to  make  her  way  back 
to  Gibraltar  under  your  protection;  but  she  is  still  a  mere 
child,  and  as  you  possess  her  mother's  confidence,  I  don't 
see  that  this  matters  so  much. 

"If  you  are  both  taken  prisoners,  there  is  no  reason  for 
supposing  that  she  would  not  be  treated  honourably  by  the 
Spaniards.  They  must  have  taken  numbers  of  women  in 
the  vessels  they  have  captured  lately,  and,  I  suppose,  the 
girl  would  be  placed  with  them ;  she  would,  at  any  rate,  be 
far  better  off  in  a  Spanish  prison  than  in  a  Moorish  one. 
Besides,  I  really  consider  that  all  our  lives  are  in  danger 
here.  After  the  assault  on  Mr.  Logie,  it  is  just  as  likely 
the  emperor  may  order  us  all  to  be  massacred  as  thrown 


bob's  mission.  295 

into  prison;  or  he  might  sell  us  as  slaves,  as  they  do  at 
Algiers.  There  is  no  saving.  I  think  that  if  I  were  in 
the  position  of  the  girl's  mother  at  Gibraltar,  I  should  say 
that  it  was  better  for  her  to  run  the  risk  of  capture  with 
you,  than  to  remain  here  where  there  is  no  saying  what 
may  happen,  she  having  every  confidence  in  your  honour, 
young  gentleman." 

"  I  thank  you,  Mrs.  Hamber.  I  have  no  idea  at  present 
what  plan  I  shall  form.  I  may  not  see  any  possible  way  of 
getting  out,  but  if  I  do  we  will  certainly  attempt  it.  Major 
Harcourt  belongs  to  the  same  regiment  as  my  brother-in-law, 
and  his  wife  and  my  sister  are  great  friends,  which  is  why, 
I  suppose,  she  has  confidence  in  me.  I  have  known  Amy 
now  for  a  year  and  a  half,  and  she  is  very  often  at  my 
sister's.  I  will  take  care  of  her  just  the  same  as  if  she  were 
a  young  sister  of  my  own.  I  don't  see  how  I  could  go  back 
and  tell  her  mother  that  I  left  her  here  with  things  in  the 
state  they  are.  I  only  hope  they  may  not  turn  out  so  badly 
as  you  fear,  and  that,  at  the  worst,  the  Moors  will  only 
hand  you  over  as  prisoners  to  the  Spaniards." 

Bob  went  back  to  the  consulate  and  told  Amy  the  result 
of  his  conversation  with  Mrs.  Hamber. 

"  I  consider  that  has  taken  the  responsibility  off  my 
shoulders,  Amy.  You  referred  me  to  Mrs.  Hamber  as  the 
lady  you  knew  best  here.  She  is  of  opinion  that  if  she 
were  your  mother  she  would  advise  your  trying  to  get  away 
with  me.  So  now  we  have  only  to  decide  how  it  is  to  be 
done,  that  is,  if  you  still  wish  to  try." 

"Certainly  I  do,"  the  girl  said.  "Anything  is  better 
than  waiting  here  expecting  the  Moors  to  rush  in,  as  they 
did  the  other  day,  and  carry  one  off  to  prison  or  kill  one. 
Mr.  Parrot,  that  is  the  gentleman  you  saw  downstairs,  said 
that  you  would  stay  here,  and  ordered  a  room  to  be  prepared 
for  you;  and  dinner  is  ready.  I  am  sure  you  must  be 
terribly  hungry." 

Bob  remembered  now  that  he  had  had  nothing  to  eat,  save 


296  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

some  biscuits  on  board  the  boat,  and  a  piece  of  bread  at  the 
wine  shop,  since  he  left  Gibraltar,  and  that  he  really  was 
desperately  hungry.  Amy  had  already  had  her  dinner;  but 
she  sat  by  him,  and  they  talked  about  their  friends  at  the 
Rock. 

"Now,"  he  said  when  he  had  finished,  "let  us  have  a 
regular  council  of  war.  It  was  my  intention  to  get  a  passage 
to  Malaga  if  I  could,  because  I  know  something  of  the  road 
back  from  there;  but  I  could  not  do  that  with  you." 

"Why  not,  Bob?" 

"Because  the  voyage  is  too  long.  Someone  would  be 
certain  to  speak  to  you  before  you  got  across,  and  as  you 
can't  talk  Spanish  the  cat  would  be  out  of  the  bag  directly. 
If  possible,  we  must  manage  to  cross  to  Tarifa;  it  is  only 
a  few  hours  across  to  there,  even  if  we  go  in  an  open  boat; 
and  now  that  the  Spaniards  are  friends  with  the  Moors  there 
ought  to  be  no  difficulty  in  getting  a  passage  across  there  or 
to  Algeciras.  Of  course  you  can't  go  as  you  are,"  he  said, 
looking  at  her  rather  ruefully. 

"No,  of  course  not,"  she  said;  "I  am  not  so  silly  as 
that.     I  should  think  I  had  better  dress  up  like  a  boy,  Bob." 

"  That  would  be  a  great  deal  the  best  plan,  if  you  would 
not  mind  it,"  Bob  said,  greatly  relieved  that  the  suggestion 
came  from  her.  "  It  is  the  only  thing  that  I  can  think  of. 
There  didn't  seem  any  story  one  could  invent  to  account  for 
a  Spanish  girl  being  over  here,  but  a  ship's-boy  will  be 
natural  enough.  If  asked  questions,  of  course  our  story  will 
be  that  we  had  been  left  behind  here.  There  could  be  lots 
of  reasons  for  that.  Either  we  might  have  been  on  shore  and 
the  vessel  gone  on  without  us,  or  you  might  have  been  sent 
ashore  ill,  and  I  might  have  been  left  to  nurse  you.  That 
wouldn't  be  a  bad  story.  What  we  must  do  when  we  get 
to  the  other  side  must  depend  upon  where  we  land.  I  mean, 
whether  we  try  to  get  straight  in  by  boat,  or  to  wait  about 
until  a  chance  comes.  Once  over  there,  you  will  have  to 
pretend  to  be  deaf  and  dumb,  and  then  you  can  dress  up 


bob's  mission.  297 

as  a  Spanish  girl — of  course  a  peasant,  which  will  be  much 
more  pleasant  than  going  about  as  a  boy,  and  better  in  lots 
of  ways.  So  if  I  were  you  I  should  take  a  bundle  of  things 
with  me,  so  that  we  should  have  nothing  to  buy  there.  It 
is  all  very  well  buying  disguises  for  myself,  but  I  could 
never  go  into  a  shop  to  ask  for  all  sorts  of  girls'  clothes." 

Amy  went  off  in  a  fit  of  laughter  at  the  thought  of  Bob 
having  to  purchase  feminine  garments. 

"  It  is  all  very  well  to  laugh,"  Bob  said.  "These  are  the 
sort  of  little  things  that  are  so  difficult  to  work  in.  It  is 
easy  enough  to  make  a  general  plan.,  but  the  difficulty  is  to 
get  everything  to  fit  in.  I  will  have  a  talk  with  Mr.  Parrot 
in  the  morning  about  the  boats.  He  will  know  what  boats 
have  been  trading  with  the  Rock,  and  what  men  to  trust." 

"You  can  talk  to  him  now  if  you  like,"  the  girl  said. 
"He  and  Mr.  Logie's  other  clerk  have  the  top  storey  of  the 
house." 

"Oh,  then,  I  will  go  up  and  see  him  at  once;  the  sooner 
it  is  arranged  the  better.  If  things  are  in  the  state  that 
everyone  says,  you  might  all  be  seized  and  imprisoned  any 
day." 

Bob  went  up  at  once  to  Mr.  Parrot's  rooms,  and  had  a  long 
talk  with  him.  The  clerk  quite  agreed  that  anything  would 
be  better  than  for  a  young  girl  to  be  shut  up  in  a  Moorish 
prison,  but  he  did  not  see  how  it  was  possible  for  them  to  find 
their  way  across  to  Gibraltar.  "  Many  of  our  fishermen  are 
most  courageous  fellows,  and  have  run  great  risks  in  taking 
letters  from  Mr.  Logie  across  to  Gibraltar.  I  do  not  suppose 
that  the  blockade  is  very  much  more  strict  than  it  was,  and 
indeed  the  fact  that,  you  got  through  shows  that  with  good 
luck  the  thing  is  possible  enough.  But  that  is  not  the  diffi- 
culty. The  strictest  order  has  been  issued  that  no  boat  is  to 
take  Englishmen  across  to  the  Rock,  or  is  to  cross  the  Straits 
on  any  pretence  whatever;  and  that  anyone  evading  this 
law  will  be  executed  and  his  goods  forfeited  to  the  state. 
That  is  how  it  is  Mr.  Loeie  has  been  able  to  send  no  letters 


298  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

for  the  last  month,  and  why  none  of  the  merchants  here 
have  tried  to  get  across  to  the  Rock.  No  bribe  would  be 
sufficient  to  tempt  the  boatmen.  It  would  mean  not  only 
death  to  themselves  if  they  ever  returned,  but  the  venge- 
ance of  the  authorities  would  fall  on  their  relations  here. 
I  am  afraid  that  there  is  nothing  to  be  done  that  way  at  all." 

"There  are  the  three  men  who  brought  me  across  this 
morning,"  Bob  said.  "They  might  be  bribed  to  take  us 
back.  The  governor  authorized  me  to  offer  a  hundred 
pounds.     I  own  that  I  don't  like  their  looks." 

"You  would  have  some  difficulty  in  finding  them  to  begin 
with,"  Mr.  Parrot  said;  "and  I  don't  think  a  hundred 
pounds  would  be  likely  to  tempt  them  to  run  the  risk." 

"  I  would  not  mind  giving  them  two  hundred  more,"  Bob 
said.  "  I  have  got  that  money  of  my  own  at  Gibraltar,  and 
I  am  sure  if  it  were  necessary  Major  Harcourt  would  gladly 
pay  as  much  more  to  get  his  daughter  back." 

"  Three  hundred  would  be  ample.  If  they  would  not  run 
the  risk  for  a  hundred  a  piece,  nothing  would  tempt  them. 
I  should  say  your  best  plan  would  be  to  go  down  early  to- 
morrow and  see  if  you  can  find  one  of  them.  They  are 
likely  to  be  loitering  about  by  the  quays,  as  they  have 
their  boat  there.  The  question  is,  are  they  to  be  trusted? 
They  know  that  you  have  been  sent  out  by  the  governor, 
and  that  you  are  here  on  some  special  business,  and  they 
may  very  well  think  that  the  Spaniards  will  give  a  higher 
reward  for  you  than  you  can  give,  to  be  taken  back.  They 
will  by  this  time  know  of  the  order  against  boats  crossing, 
and  might  betray  you  to  the  Moors.  If  you  were  going  by 
yourself,  of  course  you  could  take  all  sorts  of  risks;  but 
with  this  young  lady  under  your  protection,  it  would  be 
different." 

"Yes,  I  see  that,  Mr.  Parrot.  Rather  than  run  any  risk, 
I  should  prefer  being  put  ashore  at  any  Spanish  port  by  one 
of  the  ships  in  the  harbour.  If  you  give  me  the  name  of 
any  Spanish  merchantman  who  was  here  say  a  fortnight  ago, 


bob's  mission.  299 

my  story  that  we  were  left  behind,  owing  to  one  of  us  being 
ill,  would  be  so  simple  that  there  need  be  no  suspicion 
whatever  excited.  Tarifa  or  Algeciras  would  of  course  be 
the  best  places,  as  we  should  only  be  on  board  a  few  hours; 
and  Miss  Harcourt  could  very  well  pretend  to  be  still 
ill  and  weak,  and  could  lie  down  in  a  corner,  and  I  could 
cover  her  up  with  a  blanket  till  we  got  there.  Once  across, 
I  don't  so  much  mind.  Even  if  we  were  detected,  we  should 
simply  be  two  fugitives  from  here,  trying  to  make  our  way 
to  Gibraltar;  and  I  don't  think  there  would  be  any  question 
of  my  being  a  spy.  We  should  probably  be  sent  to  wher- 
ever they  keep  the  English  prisoners  they  have  taken 
in  ships,  and  there  would  be  nothing  very  dreadful  in  that, 
even  for  her.  We  should  probably  be  exchanged  before 
long.  There  have  been  several  batches  sent  in  to  the  Rock 
in  exchange  for  prisoners  taken  in  prizes  brought  in  by 
privateers." 

"  Well,  I  really  think  that  that  would  be  the  best  way, 
Mr.  Repton.  As  you  say,  there  will  be  nothing  very  dread- 
ful in  detention  for  a  while  with  the  Spaniards,  while  there 
is  no  saying  what  may  happen  here.  If  you  like  I  will  send 
one  of  the  consulate  servants  out  the  first  thing  in  the 
morning  to  inquire  what  ports  the  Spanish  craft  are  bound 
for,  and  when  they  are  likely  to  sail.  They  seldom  stop 
more  than  two  or  three  days  here.  Most  of  them  are  taking 
live-stock  across  for  the  use  of  the  Spanish  army,  and  though 
Algeciras  would  be  an  awkward  place  for  you  to  land  at, 
because  if  detected  there  you  would  be  more  likely  to  be 
treated  as  a  spy,  still  in  a  busy  place  like  that  no  one  would 
notice  a  couple  of  young  sailors,  and  it  would  be  no  great 
distance  for  you  to  walk  over  to  Tarifa  or  any  of  the  villages 
on  the  Straits.  But  how  do  you  propose  to  get  in  from 
there?     That  is  what  seems  to  me  the  great  difficulty." 

"Well,  I  got  in  before,"  Bob  said,  "and  do  not  think  that 
there  ought  to  be  much  difficulty  in  getting  hold  of  a  boat. 
If  I  did  I  should  sail  round  the  Point,  and  keeping  well  out- 


300  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

side  the  line  of  cruisers,  come  down  on  the  coast  the  other 
side  of  Gibraltar,  and  so  work  along  at  night,  just  as  I  did 
before.  If  I  found  it  absolutely  impossible  to  get  a  boat,  of 
course  I  could  not,  with  the  girl  with  me,  try  to  swim  across 
from  the  head  of  the  bay  to  the  Rock,  which  is  what  I  should 
have  done  had  I  been  alone.  So  I  should  then  go  to  the 
authorities  and  give  myself  up,  and  say  that  being  afraid 
that  the  Moors  intend  to  massacre  all  the  English  at  Tangiers, 
I  had  come  across  with  this  young  lady,  who  is  the  daughter 
of  an  officer  of  the  garrison,  to  put  her  into  Spanish  hands, 
knowing  that  there  she  would  receive  honourable  treatment 
till  she  could  be  passed  in  at  the  next  exchange  of  prisoners. " 

"  I  think  that  would  be  your  very  best  course  to  pursue, 
unless  you  find  everything  turn  out  just  as  you  would  wish, 
Mr.  Repton." 

When  Bob  came  down  in  the  morning  he  at  once  went 
into  the  office  below,  and  Mr.  Parrot  told  him  that  one  of 
the  Spanish  craft  would  start  for  Algeciras  at  noon. 

"Then  I  must  ask  you  to  send  one  of  the  servants  out  to 
buy  some  clothes,  such  as  are  worn  by  a  Spanish  sailor-boy, 
Mr.  Parrot.  I  have  my  own  suit  upstairs,  and  will  go  off 
and  arrange  for  a  passage  across  directly  after  breakfast." 

"I  will  see  to  it,"  Mr.  Parrot  said.  "The  ship's  decks 
will  be  crowded  up  with  cattle.  She  is  a  small  craft,  and 
I  hear  she  will  take  as  many  as  can  be  packed  on  her  deck. 
She  is  alongside  now,  taking  them  in.  There  is  not  much 
likelihood  of  any  attention  whatever  being  paid  to  you  and 
your  companion." 

Amy  turned  a  little  pale  when  Bob  told  her  that  the 
attempt  was  to  be  made  at  once,  but  she  said  bravely :  "  I 
am  glad  there  is  to  be  no  waiting,  I  do  so  long  to  be  out  of 
this  town.  I  daresay  I  shall  be  a  little  nervous  at  first,  but 
I  shall  try  not  to  show  it;  and  I  sha'n't  be  really  frightened, 
for  I  know  that  you  will  take  care  of  me." 

As  soon  as  breakfast  was  over  Bob  changed  his  things  and 
went  down  to  the  quay.     He  stopped  at  the  vessel  taking 


bob's  mission.  301 

cattle  on  board.  She  was  a  polacre  brig  of  about  a  hundred 
and  fifty  tons.  The  captain  was  smoking  a  cigar  aft,  while 
the  mate  was  seeing  to  the  storing  of  the  cattle.  Bob  went 
on  board  and  told  his  story  to  the  captain. 

"  1  was  left  behind  in  charge  of  a  cabin-boy  from  the 
Esmeralda  a  fortnight  ago.  The  boy  had  fever,  and  the 
captain  thought  it  might  be  infectious  and  put  him  ashore, 
but  he  soon  got  well.  We  want  to  be  taken  across,  as  our 
friends  live  not  many  miles  from  Tarifa.  We  will  pay  a 
dollar  a  piece  for  our  passage." 

The  captain  nodded.  "Be  on  board  by  noon;  we  shall 
not  be  a  minute  later." 

Bob  went  ashore  and  told  Amy  that  everything  was 
arranged  without  the  slightest  difficulty.  He  then  went 
down  to  inspect  the  clothes. 

"They  will  do  very  well,"  he  said,  "except  that  they  are 
a  good  deal  cleaner  than  anything  ever  seen  on  a  Spanish 
sailor.  Those  canvas  trousers  will  never  do  as  they  are." 
He  accordingly  took  some  ashes  and  rubbed  them  well  into 
the  canvas,  got  some  grease  from  the  kitchen,  and  poured 
two  or  three  large  patches  over  the  trousers. 

"That  is  more  like  it,"  he  said.  "The  shirt  will  do  well 
enough,  but  there  must  be  a  patch  or  two  of  grease  upon  the 
jacket,  and  some  smears  of  dirt  of  some  kind."  When  he 
had  done  them  to  his  satisfaction  he  took  them  upstairs. 

"What  horrid,  dirty-looking  things!  "  Amy  exclaimed  in 
disgust. 

"They  are  clean  enough  inside,  child.  They  are  quite 
new,  but  I  have  been  dirtying  them  outside  to  make  them 
look  natural.  You  must  be  dressed  by  half-past  eleven,  and 
you  can  tuck  your  hair  up  under  that  red  night-cap;  but 
you  must  manage  to  dirty  your  face,  neck,  and  hands.  You 
really  ought  to  have  some  brown  stain,  but  I  don't  suppose 
it  is  to  be  got.     I  will  speak  to  Mr.  Parrot." 

"There  is  no  stain  that  I  know  of,"  Mr.  Parrot  said;  "but 
I  know  Mr.  Logie  paints  a  little.     I  think  you  will  find  a 


302  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

box  of  colours  upstairs.  If  you  mix  some  Vandyke  brown 
in  water,  and  paint  her  with  it  and  let  it  dry  on,  I  should 
think  it  would  do  very  well,  though  of  course  it  wouldn't 
stand  washing." 

Bob  found  the  paint-box  and  soon  mixed  some  paint.  At 
half-past  eleven  Amy  came  into  the  room,  laughing  a  little 
shyly. 

"  That  will  do  very  well, "  Bob  said  encouragingly,  "  except 
that  you  are  a  great  deal  too  fair  and  clean.  Look  here,  1 
have  been  mixing  some  paint.  I  think  a  wash  of  that  will 
make  all  the  difference.  Now,  sit  down  while  I  colour  you. 
That  will  do  capitally  !  "  he  said  when  he  finished.  "  I  think 
when  it  dries  it  will  be  just  about  the  right  shade  for  a 
Spanish  sailor-boy.  Have  you  got  your  bundle  ?  That  is 
right.  Now  here  is  my  bag  and  a  couple  of  black  Moorish 
blankets.  I  will  bring  Mr.  Parrot  up  to  say  good-bye. 
Have  you  told  your  servant?  " 

"No;  I  said  nothing  to  her  about  it.  She  would  make 
such  a  terrible  fuss  there  would  be  no  getting  away  from 
her.  We  must  ask  Mr.  Parrot  to  tell  her  after  the  vessel 
has  set  sail." 

Mr.  Parrot  pronounced  the  disguise  excellent,  and  said 
that  he  should  not  have  the  slightest  suspicion  that  she  was 
anything  but  what  she  seemed  to  be.  Amy  felt  very  shy  as 
she  sallied  out  with  Bob,  but  she  gained  courage  as  she  saw 
that  no  one  noticed  her. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  brig,  the  cattle  were  nearly  all  on 
board.  Bob  led  the  way  across  the  gangway,  and  went  up 
on  to  the  fo'castle.  There  he  laid  one  of  the  blankets  down 
against  a  stanchion,  wrapped  Amy  in  the  other  so  that  her 
face  was  almost  hidden,  and  told  her  to  sit  down  and  close 
her  eyes  as  if  weak  or  asleep.  Then  he  took  up  his  post 
beside  her.  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  last  bullock  was  on 
board.  The  gangway  was  at  once  hauled  in,  the  hawsers 
thrown  off,  and  the  sails  let  drop,  and  in  another  minute  the 
vessel  was  gliding  away  from  the  wharf. 


bob's  mission.  303 

The  wind  was  nearly  due  west,  and  the  sheets  were 
hauled  in  as  she  was  headed  across  the  Straits.  It  was  half 
an  hour  before  the  sailors'  work  was  all  done.  Several  of 
them  came  up  on  to  the  fo'castle  and  began  twisting  cigar- 
ettes, and  one  at  once  entered  into  conversation  with  Bob. 

"Is  the  boy  ill?"  he  said. 

"Yes,  he  has  been  ill,  but  is  better  now.  It  would  have 
been  better  if  he  could  have  stopped  a  few  days  longer,  but 
he  was  pining  to  get  home.  He  won't  have  far  to  go  when 
we  get  to  Algeciras,  and  no  doubt  I  shall  be  able  to  get  him 
a  lift  in  some  cart  that  will  be  bringing  provisions  to  the 
camp." 

The  talk  at  once  turned  on  the  siege,  the  sailors  express- 
ing their  certainty  that  the  Rock  would  soon  be  taken. 
Bob  had  moved  away  from  Amy  as  if  to  allow  her  to  sleep 
undisturbed  by  the  conversation. 

"There  is  a  brig  running  down  the  Straits  at  a  good 
speed,"  one  of  the  sailors  said  when  they  were  half-way 
across.     "It  is  a  nice  breeze  for  her." 

Bob  looked  at  the  craft.  She  was  about  a  mile  away,  and 
by  the  course  they  were  steering — almost  at  right  angles — 
would  come  very  near  to  them.  There  was  something 
familiar  in  her  appearance,  and  he  looked  at  her  intently, 
examining  every  sail  and  shroud.  Then  doubt  became  cer- 
tainty as  his  eye  fell  upon  a  small  patch  in  one  of  the  cloths 
of  the  topgallant  sail. 

It  was  the  Antelope.  One  of  the  Spanish  shot  had  passed 
through  the  topgallant  sail,  and  as  that  was  the  only  injury 
that  sail  had  received,  the  bit  had  been  cut  out  and  a  fresh 
one  put  in  before  she  sailed  again  from  Gibraltar.  She  was 
flying  Spanish  colours.  His  heart  beat  fast.  Would  she 
overhaul  them,  or  pass  without  taking  notice  of  them,  seeing 
that  the  polacre  was  a  small  one  and  not  likely  to  be  a 
valuable  prize  ?  The  vessels  approached  each  other  quickly. 
The  course  the  Antelope  was  taking  would  carry  her  some 
length  or  two  behind  the  Spaniard.     Bob  hesitated  whether 


304  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

to  hail  her  as  she  came  along.  If  his  hail  was  not  heard  he 
would  of  course  be  detected  and  his  plans  entirely  spoilt, 
and  with  the  wind  blowing  straight  across  and  he  in  the 
bow  it  would  be  by  no  means  certain  that  his  hail  would  be 
distinguished.  Suddenly,  to  his  delight,  when  the  brig  was 
within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  polacre,  he  saw  her  head  come 
up,  while  the  crew  began  to  haul  upon  the  sheets. 

An  exclamation  of  surprise  and  alarm  broke  from  the 
Spaniards,  as  in  another  minute  the  Antelope  was  running 
parallel  with  them,  a  cable's  length  to  windward.  Then  the 
port-holes  were  opened,  and  eight  guns  run  out.  The  Span- 
ish flag  was  run  down  and  the  British  hoisted  to  the  peak, 
and  a  summons  to  strike  their  flag  shouted  to  the  Spaniards. 
As  the  latter  carried  only  four  small  guns,  resistance  was 
out  of  the  question.  The  Spanish  flag  was  lowered,  and  in 
obedience  to  the  gesticulations  rather  than  the  words  of  an 
officer  on  board  the  English  brig,  the  halliards  were  thrown 
off  and  the  sails  came  down  with  a  run. 

The  Spanish  sailors  were  frantic  with  rage,  swearing  by  all 
the  saints  in  the  calendar.  Bob  had  moved  at  once  across  to 
Amy. 

"Lie  still,  Amy.  We  are  going  to  be  captured  by  an 
English  ship.  It  is  the  same  privateer  that  I  was  in  before. 
Don't  make  any  sign  until  they  come  on  board.  In  the  fury 
that  these  Spaniards  are  in  they  might  stick  their  knives 
into  us  if  they  knew  we  were  English." 

The  brig  had  been  thrown  up  into  the  wind  as  soon  as 
the  polacre's  sails  had  been  lowered,  and  in  three  minutes 
a  boat  came  alongside.  Then  Joe  Lockett,  followed  by  half 
a  dozen  sailors  armed  with  pistol  and  cutlass,  scrambled  on 
board. 

"  Now,  follow  me,  Amy. "  And  descending  the  ladder  Bob 
made  his  way  along  the  narrow  gangway  between  the  lines 
of  cattle,  and  then  mounted  to  the  poop. 

"Well,  Joe,  how  are  you?"  The  first-mate  of  the 
Antelope  started  back  in  astonishment. 


bob's  mission.  305 

"Why,  Bob  Repton!"  he  exclaimed.  "What  on  earth 
are  you  doing  here  masquerading  as  a  Spanish  sailor?  " 

"I  am  trying  to  get  across  to  Gibraltar,"  he  said. 

"Why,  is  this  fellow  bound  for  Gibraltar?  In  that  case 
we  have  not  got  a  prize,  as  we  fancied." 

"She  is  a  fair  prize,  Joe;  she  is  bound  for  Algeciras.  I 
was  going  to  make  my  way  in  from  there  as  best  I  could." 

"That  is  all  right  then.     What  has  she  got  on  board?  " 

"Nothing  beyond  these  cattle  and  some  vegetables,  I 
expect;  but  they  are  worth  a  lot  of  money  on  the  Rock." 

"Well,  you  will  be  able  to  tell  us  all  about  things,  Bob. 
I  will  hail  the  captain  to  send  Crofts  on  board  with  a  dozen 
men  to  take  charge  here,  and  then  I  will  take  you  on  board." 

"I  have  a  friend  here,"  Bob  said  turning  to  Amy,  who 
was  standing  timidly  behind  him,  "so  you  must  take  him 
with  me." 

"All  right!  "  Joe  said  carelessly. 

In  five  minutes  Bob  stood  again  on  the  deck  of  the 
Antelope,  and  a  hearty  greeting  was  exchanged  between  him 
and  Captain  Lockett. 

"Before  I  tell  you  anything,  Captain,  which  cabin  am  I 
to  have?  I  will  tell  you  why  afterwards.  I  suppose  it 
will  be  my  old  one?  " 

"Yes;  that  is  our  one  spare  cabin,  Bob.  But  I  don't 
know  why  you  are  in  such  a  hurry  about  it." 

"  I  will  tell  you  presently,"  Bob  laughed,  and  led  the  way 
below. 

"There,  Amy,"  he  said,  "you  can  go  in  there  and  put  on 
your  own  things  again.  I  thought  it  would  be  more  com- 
fortable for  you,  for  them  not  to  know  it  until  you  are  pro- 
perly dressed  in  your  own  clothes.  You  have  brought  a 
frock,  of  course?  " 

"Yes;  I  thought  I  had  better  bring  one  in  case  we  should 
be  made  prisoners." 

"That  is  all  right.  When  you  are  dressed  come  upon 
deck.     I  will  explain  all  about  it  before  you  appear." 


506 


HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 


Bob  as  briefly  as  possible  told  his  story  to  Captain  Lockett 
and  Joe,  who  were  much  amused  to  find  that  Bob's  friend 
was  a  young  lady. 

"You  are  coming  out  in  quite  a  new  light,   Bob,  as  a 


Soucndxrujs  iru  feet. 


squire  of  dames.  But  I  won't  laugh  at  you  now;  I  want 
to  hear  the  last  news.  I  overhauled  that  craft  not  so  much 
to  capture  her  as  to  get  the  last  news.  There  were  reports 
before  I  started  that  the  Moors  were  joining  the  Spaniards, 


bob's  mission.  307 

and  that  their  ports  were  closed  to  us,  and  what  you  say 
confirms  that.  That  was  one  of  the  points  I  wanted  to 
know,  as  I  could  not  tell  whether  I  could  run  in  there  safely 
were  I  chased.  Now,  as  to  getting  into  the  Rock,  are  their 
cruisers  active  at  present?" 

"  Well,  there  are  lots  of  them  about.  I  think  your  best 
plan  will  be  to  run  in  close  to  the  Point  and  hold  on  as  if 
you  were  going  into  Algeciras.  In  that  way  they  won't  sus- 
pect you.  Then,  when  you  get  right  up  the  bay,  haul  across 
to  the  town.  The  wind  is  in  your  favour,  because  you  will 
have  to  tack  to  work  up  the  bay,  and  if  you  make  pretty  long 
tacks,  they  won't  suspect  you  when  you  start  across  until  you 
have  got  pretty  well  aw7ay,  and  with  this  breeze  there  wall 
be  no  chance  of  their  catching  you  before  you  are  under  our 
guns." 

"  That  seems  hopeful  enough.  At  any  rate  we  will  try  it. 
I  will  send  six  more  men  on  board  the  polacre.  They  will 
want  to  be  handy  with  her  sails.  I  will  go  myself  and  give 
Crofts  orders.  He  had  better  keep  ahead  of  us,  for  if  we  are 
chased  by  their  gun-boats  we  can  protect  him." 

Just  as  sail  was  again  got  up  and  the  two  vessels  were 
under  way,  Amy  Harcourt  came  on  deck,  and  was  soon  laugh- 
ing and  chatting  merrily  with  the  captain.  At  four  in  the 
afternoon  they  rounded  the  Point,  the  polacre  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  ahead,  and  both  flying  Spanish  colours.  There 
were  several  Spanish  cruisers  and  some  gun-boats  outside 
them ;  but  these  paid  no  attention  to  their  movements,  and 
both  beat  up  the  bay,  keeping  close  into  the  Spanish  shore, 
but  holding  somewhat  farther  out  at  each  tack. 

"  Now,"  Captain  Lockett  said  when  they  were  within  half 
a  mile  of  Algeciras,  "we  will  run  out  this  tack.  There  are 
two  gun-boats  in  our  way,  I  see,  but  we  must  take  our 
chance  of  them.  Go  and  wave  a  handkerchief  from  the 
bow,  Joe.  Mr.  Crofts  will  be  on  the  look-out  for  the 
signal." 

The  two  vessels  held  away  on  the  port  tack.     As  the  pol- 


308  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

acre  approached  the  gun-boats  a  sudden  bustle  was  observed 
on  board  them. 

"They  begin  to  smell  a  rat,"  Captain  Lockett  said, 
"hoist  the  topgallant  sails,"  for  the  brig  had  been  under 
easy  sail  to  enable  her  to  hold  her  place  with  the  polacre. 
The  men  were  already  at  quarters,  and  the  ports  were 
opened  and  the  guns  run  out.  Just  as  the  gun-boat  nearest 
the  polacre,  finding  the  hail  for  her  to  bring  to  unheeded, 
fired  a  shot  into  her,  the  brig's  head  paid  off,  and  she 
poured  a  broadside  into  the  two  gun-boats.  One  of  them 
was  struck  amidships.  For  a  minute  there  was  great  con- 
fusion on  board,  and  then  she  made  for  her  companion, 
evidently  in  a  sinking  condition.  Several  shots  were  now 
fired  from  the  forts,  but  though  they  fell  near,  the  brig  was 
uninjured.  The  second  gun-boat  did  not  venture  to  attack 
so  formidable  an  opponent,  and  half  an  hour  later  the 
Antelope  and  her  prize  dropped  anchor  off  the  Mole. 

Bob  had  already  run  down  and  put  on  his  usual  clothes, 
and  he  and  Amy  were  at  once  rowed  ashore  and  made  their 
way  to  Major  Harcourt's  quarters.  The  delight  of  Amy's 
father  and  mother,  as  she  rushed  into  the  room,  was  extreme. 
Bob  did  not  enter  with  her,  but  left  her  to  tell  her  own 
story,  and  proceeded  straight  to  the  governor's,  to  whom  he 
reported  the  state  of  affairs  at  Tangier. 

"It  is  bad  news,"  the  governor  said.  "However,  I  am 
extremely  obliged  to  you  for  the  valuable  service  that  you 
have  rendered;  and,  as  I  had  the  pleasure  of  before  doing 
when  you  brought  in  the  oranges,  I  shall  place  your  name 
in  the  orders  of  the  day,  for  having,  as  a  volunteer,  rendered 
signal  service  by  carrying  despatches  at  great  risk  across  to 
the  Barbary  coast." 

Bob  then  returned  home.  Captain  Lockett  had  already 
been  to  the  house  and  informed  the  O'Hallorans  of  his 
arrival. 

"There  you  see,  Carrie,"  Bob  said  after  his  sister's  first 
greetings  were  over  ;  "there  was  nothing  to  have  been  so 
terribly  alarmed  about." 


bob's  mission.  309 

"  It  isn't  because  you  got  through  it  safely,  Bob,  that  there 
was  no  danger,"  his  sister  replied.  "It  was  a  very  foolish 
thing  to  do,  and  nothing  will  change  my  opinion  as  to  that. 
Captain  Lockett  tells  me  you  brought  Amy  Harcourt  back 
with  you,  dressed  up  as  a  boy.  I  never  heard  of  such  a  thing, 
Bob  !  The  idea  of  a  boy  like  you,  not  eighteen  yet,  taking 
charge  in  that  way  of  a  young  girl !  " 

"Well,  there  was  nothing  else  to  do,  Carrie,  that  I  could 
see.  I  went  to  Mrs.  Hamber,  who  was  Mrs.  Colomb's  most 
intimate  friend,  and  asked  her  opinion  as  to  what  I  had 
better  do,  and  she  advised  me  to  get  Amy  away  if  I  possibly 
could  do  so.  I  can't  see  what  difference  it  makes  whether  it 
is  a  boy  or  a  girl.  It  seems  to  me  that  people  are  always  so 
stupid  about  that  sort  of  thing." 

Carrie  laughed.  "Well,  never  mind,  Bob.  Amy  Harcourt 
is  a  very  nice  girl.  A  little  too  boyish,  perhaps;  but  I  sup- 
pose that  is  natural,  being  brought  up  in  the  regiment.  I 
am  very  glad  that  you  have  brought  her  back  again,  and  it 
will  be  an  immense  relief  to  her  father  and  mother.  Her 
mother  has  been  here  three  or  four  times  during  these  two 
days  you  have  been  away,  and  I  am  in  no  way  surprised  at 
her  anxiety.  They  will  be  in  here  this  evening  certainly,  to 
thank  you." 

"Very  well;  then  I  shall  be  round  smoking  a  cigar  with 
the  doctor,"  Bob  said.  "I  am  very  glad  to  have  been  of 
use  to  them,  and  to  have  got  Amy  back  again;  but  I  don't 
want  to  be  thanked,  and  you  tell  them  so.  I  hate  being 
made  a  fuss  about." 

And  so,  beyond  a  warm  grasp  of  the  hand  on  the  part  of 
Major  Harcourt,  and  two  or  three  words  of  hearty  thanks 
on  that  of  his  wife,  the  next  time  they  met,  Bob  escaped 
any  expression  of  gratitude.  But  the  occurrence  drew  the 
two  families  together  more  closely,  and  Amy  often  came 
round  with  her  father  and  mother  in  the  evening,  and  there 
were  many  little  confidential  talks  between  Carrie  and  Mrs. 
Harcourt. 


310  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

It  was  some  time  before  the  anxiety  as  to  the  fate  of  the 
English  inhabitants  at  Tangier  was  allayed.  They  were  at 
the  beginning  of  December  forced  to  remove  to  Marteen,  a 
few  miles  from  Tetuan,  abandoning  their  houses  and  all  their 
property,  which  was  estimated  at  the  value  of  sixty  thousand 
pounds,  and  three  days  afterwards  were  handed  over  as  pri- 
soners to  the  Spaniards.  They  were  then  put  on  board  a 
ship,  and  taken  to  Algeciras,  where  they  were  kept,  for 
nearly  a  month,  prisoners  on  board  ship,  but  were,  on  the 
nth  of  January,  1781,  sent  across  to  Gibraltar. 

The  next  five  months  passed  slowly  and  heavily.  Occa- 
sionally privateers  and  other  craft  ran  through  the  blockade 
of  the  Spanish  cruisers  and  succeeded  in  getting  into  port. 
Some  of  these  brought  wine  and  sugar,  of  both  of  which  the 
garrison  was  extremely  short,  and  occasionally  a  few  head 
of  cattle  and  other  provisions.  All  of  these  were  sold  by 
public  auction,  the  governor  considering  that  to  be  the  fair- 
est way  of  disposing  of  them. 

On  the  12th  of  April  another  great  convoy,  under  Admiral 
Darby,  entered  the  port.  It  consisted  of  about  a  hundred 
merchantmen  under  the  protection  of  a  powerful  fleet.  The 
joy  of  the  garrison  and  inhabitants  was  intense,  although 
among  the  latter  this  was  mingled  with  a  certain  feeling 
of  uneasiness.  Deserters  had  at  various  times  brought  in 
reports  that,  should  Gibraltar  be  again  relieved,  it  was  the 
purpose  of  the  Spaniards  to  bombard  the  town.  Hopes  were 
entertained  that  so  wanton  an  act  of  cruelty  would  not  be 
carried  out,  for  the  entire  destruction  of  the  town  would  not 
advance  in  the  smallest  degree  the  progress  of  the  siege. 

At  a  quarter  to  eleven,  just  as  the  van  of  the  convoy  came 
to  an  anchor  off  the  New  Mole,  Fort  San  Philip  opened  fire 
upon  the  town,  and  at  the  signal  the  whole  of  the  bat- 
teries in  the  forts  and  lines  followed  suit.  A  hundred  and 
fourteen  guns  and  mortars  rained  their  shot  and  shell  upon 
the  town,  and  the  guns  of  the  batteries  of  the  garrison  at 
once  responded.     Several  of  the  officers  of  the  58th  and 


bob's  mission.  311 

their  wives  had  come  up  to  Captain  O'Halloran's  to  enjoy 
from  the  terrace  the  view  of  the  great  convoy  entering  the 
port.  All  were  in  the  highest  spirits  at  the  thought  of  the 
abundant  supplies  that  would  now  be  at  their  disposal,  and 
in  the  belief  that  the  Spaniards,  seeing  that  the  garrison 
was  again  amply  provisioned,  would  abandon  the  siege, 
which  had  now  lasted  for  twenty-two  months.  Suddenly 
there  came  upon  the  air  the  deep  sound  of  the  guns  of  San 
Philip,  followed  by  a  prolonged  roar  as  the  whole  of  the 
Spanish  batteries  opened  fire.  The  hum  of  shot  could  be 
heard,  followed  by  the  explosion  of  shells,  the  fall  of 
masonry,  and  screams  and  cries. 

"The  bombardment  has  begun  at  last!  "  Captain  O'Hal- 
loran  exclaimed. 

The  greatest  consternation  reigned  among  the  ladies. 
Several  of  them  had  left  children  in  their  quarters;  and 
although  the  barracks  were  so  placed  as  to  be  to  a  great 
extent  sheltered  from  the  enemy's  fire  from  the  land  side, 
they  were  still  terribly  anxious  as  to  their  safety.  Two  of 
them  had,  like  the  O'Hallorans,  quarters  in  the  town  itself; 
and  the  husbands  of  these  ladies,  accompanied  by  Captain 
O'Halloran  and  Bob,  at  once  set  out  to  bring  the  children 
up  to  the  house,  which  was  perfectly  sheltered. 

The  scene  in  the  town  was  a  pitiful  one.  Men,  women, 
and  children  were  flying  in  the  wildest  alarm  towards  the 
gate  looking  south,  and  thence  out  to  the  huts  that  the  more 
prudent  ones  had  erected  many  months  before  near  Europa 
Point.  Shot  and  shell  were  raining  down,  while  chimneys 
and  portions  of  masonry  fell  clattering  in  the  streets.  Sick 
people  were  being  carried  out  on  doors  or  planks,  and 
most  of  the  inhabitants  were  laden  with  what  few  articles  of 
value  they  could  snatch  up  at  the  first  alarm.  The  children 
were  soon  brought  up  to  the  O'Halloran's,  and  then  for  a 
time  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  listen  to  the  roar  of 
artillery. 

The  officers  and  Bob  ascended  the  Rock  to  a  point  near 


312  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

one  of  the  batteries,  whence  they  could  command  a  view  of 
the  Spanish  lines.  The  flashes  of  smoke  were  bursting  forth 
almost  incessantly,  but  were  answered  shot  for  shot  from  the 
English  batteries,  which  had  already  almost  silenced  the 
San  Carlos  Battery,  which  mounted  a  large  number  of  mor- 
tars, and  against  which  the  fire  of  the  English  guns  was 
concentrated.  Between  one  and  two  o'clock  the  Spanish 
fire  abated,  and  soon  ceased  altogether.  The  inhabitants 
took  advantage  of  the  lull  to  hurry  back  to  their  houses, 
whence  they  removed  the  lighter  and  more  portable  articles; 
but  the  heavy  stores,  of  which  it  now  appeared  many  of 
them  had  large  quantities  concealed,  they  were  of  course 
unable  to  take  away. 

The  discovery  of  these  stores  excited  much  indignation 
among  the  troops.  The  inhabitants  had  been  constantly 
representing  themselves  as  reduced  to  the  last  point  of 
hunger,  and  had  frequently  received  provisions  from  the 
scanty  supplies  of  the  garrison;  and  the  soldiers  were  exas- 
perated on  finding  that  all  this  time  they  possessed  great 
stores  of  wine,  flour,  and  other  articles,  which  they  were 
hoarding  to  produce  and  sell  when  prices  should  rise  to  even 
more  exorbitant  heights  than  they  had  already  reached. 

At  five  o'clock  the  enemy's  batteries  opened  again,  and  the 
firing  continued  without  intermission  all  that  night.  As 
several  casualties  had  taken  place  in  the  barracks  and  quar- 
ters, marquees  were  on  the  following  morning  served  out  to 
all  the  officers  whose  quarters  were  exposed  to  fire,  and 
these  were  pitched  near  Europa  Point,  as  were  also  a  large 
number  of  tents  for  the  use  of  the  inhabitants. 

A  considerable  body  of  troops  were  kept  under  arms  near 
the  northern  gate,  in  case  the  Spaniards  should  attempt  to 
make  an  assault  under  cover  of  their  fire;  and  five  hundred 
officers  and  men  were  told  off  to  assist  in  the  work  of  get- 
ting the  supplies  up  from  the  wharves,  as  fast  as  they  were 
landed  from  the  transports.  The  bombardment  continued 
during  the  whole  of  the  next  two  days.     The  mortars  still 


bob's  mission.  313 

poured  their  shells  upon  the  town;  but  the  guns  were  now 
directed  at  our  batteries,  and  their  fire  was  remarkably 
accurate. 

On  the  14th  the  unloading  parties  were  increased  to  a 
thousand  men,  and  strong  detachments  of  troops  were  told 
off  to  extinguish  the  fires  in  the  town,  as  the  enemy  were 
now  discharging  shell  filled  with  a  composition  that  burned 
with  great  fury,  igniting  everything  with  which  it  came 
in  contact.  The  troops  engaged  upon  this  duty  were  not 
long  in  broaching  the  casks  of  wine  found  in  such  abundance 
in  many  of  the  ruined  houses.  For  two  years  they  had  been 
living  almost  entirely  on  salt  provisions,  and  wine  had  been 
selling  at  prices  vastly  beyond  their  means.  It  was  scarcely 
surprising,  then,  that  they  should  take  advantage  of  this 
opportunity. 

The  stores  were  practically  lost,  for  the  whole  town  was 
crumbling  to  pieces  "beneath  the  fire  of  the  enemy's  mortars 
and  was  on  fire  in  several  places,  and  little  if  any  of  the  liquor 
and  stores  consumed  could  in  any  case  have  been  saved. 
However,  for  a  time  insubordination  reigned.  The  troops 
carried  off  liquors  to  their  quarters,  barricaded  themselves 
there,  and  got  drunk,  and  it  was  two  or  three  days  before 
discipline  was  restored.  Up  to  this  time  the  conduct  of  the 
soldiers  had  been  most  exemplary,  and  they  had  borne  their 
prolonged  hardships  without  a  murmur;  and  this  outbreak 
was  due  as  much  to  a  spirit  of  revenge  against  the  inhabi- 
tants, for  hiding  away  great  stores  of  provisions  and  liquor 
with  a  view  to  making  exorbitant  profits,  as  from  a  desire 
to  indulge  in  a  luxury  of  which  they  had  been  so  long 
deprived. 

On  the  15th  the  enemy's  fire  was  hotter  than  ever,  and 
the  guns  were  withdrawn  from  our  batteries,  as  they  pro- 
duced but  little  effect  upon  the  Spanish  batteries,  and  the 
men  working  them  suffered  a  good  deal  from  the  besieger's 
fire.  Two  officers  were  dangerously  wounded  in  one  of  the 
casemates  of  the  King's  bastion,  and  the  fire  was  so  heavy 


314  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

around  some  of  the  barracks  that  all  the  troops  who  could 
not  be  disposed  of  in  the  casemates  and  bomb-proofs  were 
sent  out  of  the  town  and  encamped  southward,  and  the 
next  day  all  the  women  and  children  who  had  gone  with 
their  husbands  and  fathers  into  the  casemates  were  also 
removed  and  placed  under  canvas. 

All  this  gave  incessant  work  to  the  troops,  for  there  was 
no  level  ground  upon  which  the  tents  could  be  pitched; 
and  as  it  was  therefore  necessary  to  level  all  the  ground 
into  terraces,  it  was  some  days  before  the  camps  were  ranged 
in  anything  like  order.  Each  day  the  enemy  sent  out  their 
gun-boats  to  harass  the  merchantmen,  but  these  were  always 
driven  back  by  the  guns  of  the  fleet.  On  the  17th  the  be- 
sieger's shells  set  fire  to  the  Spanish  church,  which  had  been 
used  as  a  store-house.  Strong  parties  were  sent  down  to 
remove  the  provisions,  which  consisted  largely  of  barrels  of 
flour.  These  were  carried  up  and  piled  so  as  to  afford  pro- 
tection to  the  casemates,  which  had  been  frequently  entered 
by  the  enemy's  shots,  several  men  having  been  killed  there. 

They  proved  a  valuable  defence,  and  afforded,  moreover, 
great  amusement  to  the  soldiers,  who,  whenever  a  barrel 
was  smashed  by  a  shell,  carried  off  the  contents  and  quickly 
converted  them  into  pancakes,  until  so  many  casks  had  been 
emptied  that  the  whole  structure  came  toppling  down. 

On  the  1 8th  a  shell  came  through  the  arch  of  one  of  the 
casemates,  killing  two  and  wounding  four  men,  and  in  con- 
sequence a  good  many  more  of  the  troops  were  sent  under 
canvas.  On  the  20th  the  work  of  unloading  the  greater 
portion  of  the  transports  was  completed,  and  the  admiral, 
who  was  most  anxious  to  take  advantage  of  the  easterly 
wind  that  was  blowing  to  sail  out  of  the  Straits,  gave  the 
signal  for  departure.  Many  of  the  merchantmen  whose 
cargoes  were  consigned  to  merchants  and  traders  on  the  Rock 
carried  them  back  to  England,  as  the  merchants,  having  no 
place  whatever  in  which  to  store  goods — for  the  town  was 
now  almost  entirely  destroyed, — refused  to  accept  them. 


bob's  mission.  315 

The  transports  with  ordnance  stores  were  brought  in 
behind  the  New  Mole  to  be  discharged  at  leisure,  while 
several  colliers  were  run  close  in  and  scuttled,  so  that  their 
cargoes  could  be  removed  as  required.  A  great  many  of 
the  inhabitants  and  of  the  officers'  wives  and  families  em- 
barked on  board  the  fleet  before  it  left. 

The  enemy's  fire  still  continued  very  heavy,  and  their  guns 
and  mortar-boats  on  the  23d  came  boldly  out  and  opened 
fire  upon  the  working  parties  who  were  stacking  the  barrels 
and  stores  at  the  south  end  of  the  Rock.  The  wife  of  a 
soldier  was  killed  and  several  men  wounded. 

On  the  26th  the  governor  determined  sternly  to  repress 
the  drunkenness  that  still  prevailed,  owing  to  the  soldiers 
going  down  among  the  ruins  of  the  town,  where  they  occa- 
sionally discovered  uninjured  casks  of  wine.  An  order  was 
therefore  issued  on  that  day,  that  any  soldier  convicted  of 
being  drunk,  asleep  at  his  post,  or  marauding,  should  be 
immediately  shot.  On  the  27  th  a  convoy  of  twenty  ships, 
in  charge  of  the  Brilliant  and  three  other  frigates,  came  in 
from  Minorca,  where  the  governor  had  ordered  provisions  to 
be  purchased,  in  case  the  convoy  expected  from  England 
did  not  arrive.  The  arrival  of  these  ships  largely  added  to 
the  stores  at  the  disposal  of  the  garrison. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 


A    CRUISE    IN    THE      'BRILLIANT. 


WHILE  the  bombardment  continued,  Bob  had  been  con- 
stantly occupied.  He  had  some  time  before  put  down 
his  name  as  a  volunteer  for  service  if  required,  and  he  and 
several  others  who  had  similarly  enrolled  themselves  had 
been  appointed  to  assist  in  looking  after  the  removal  of  the 
soldiers'  wives  and  children  to  the  tents  erected  for  them, 
and  to  seeing  to  their  comfort  there.  He  had  also  been  in 
charge  of  bodies  of  labourers  employed  by  the  governor  in 
the  work  of  levelling  the  ground  and  transporting  stores. 
Captain  O'Halloran  was  constantly  away  on  duty;  and  soon 
after  the  bombardment  began  it  was  found  necessary  to 
drive  the  whole  of  the  poultry  into  the  lower  part  of  the 
house,  the  Spaniards  retaining  only  one  room  for  their  own 
accommodation. 

Had  not  this  step  been  taken  the  chickens  would  speedily 
have  been  stolen  by  marauders,  as  in  the  absence  of  Captain 
O'Halloran  and  Bob  there  was  no  one  to  protect  them. 
After  the  issue  of  the  governor's  proclamation  discipline  was 
speedily  restored,  and  there  was  no  longer  any  occasion  to 
keep  them  under  shelter.  The  bombardment  was  followed 
by  heavy  rains,  which  caused  very  great  discomfort  to  the 
troops.  The  water  pouring  in  torrents  down  the  face  of 
the  hills  swept  away  the  newly  raised  banks,  and  brought 
down  the  tents,  the  soldiers  having  to  turn  out  in  the  wet; 
and  as  the  troops,  owing  to  their  heavy  duties,  were  only 
one  night  out  of  three  in  bed,  the  discomfort  and  annoyance 
were  very  great. 


A    CRUISE    IN   THE    "  BRILLIANT."  317 

Great  quantities  of  the  provisions,  too,  were  damaged,  as 
these  were  all  stacked  in  the  open  air,  with  no  other  cover- 
ing than  that  afforded  by  the  sails  of  the  colliers,  which  were 
cut  off  and  used  for  the  purpose.  Until  the  end  of  the  month 
the  downfall  of  rain  was  incessant,  and  was  accompanied 
with  heavy  storms  of  thunder  and  lightning.  The  batteries 
required  constant  repair,  and  the  labours  of  the  troops  were 
very  severe.  Since  the  departure  of  Admiral  Darby's  fleet 
the  enemy  appeared  to  have  given  up  all  hopes  of  compel- 
ling the  place  to  surrender  by  hunger.  The  convoy  from 
Minorca  had  not  been  interfered  with,  and  on  the  2d  of 
May  two  native  craft  came  in  from  Algiers  with  sheep,  wine, 
and  brandy  unmolested  by  the  enemy's  cruisers. 

The  enemy's  fire  had  never  entirely  ceased  since  the  com- 
mencement of  the  bombardment,  and  now  amounted  to 
about  fifteen  hundred  rounds  every  twenty-four  hours,  the 
gun-boats  generally  coming  out  every  day  and  sending  their 
missiles  into  the  town  and  batteries,  the  latter  being  speci- 
ally the  mark  of  the  enemy's  land  guns,  which  reached  even 
the  highest  batteries  on  the  Rock.  All  through  May  and 
June  the  enemy's  fire  continued,  dropping  towards  the  end 
of  the  latter  month  to  about  five  hundred  shot  and  shell  a 
day.  The  gun-boats  were  specially  annoying,  directing  their 
fire  against  the  south  end  of  the  Rock,  and  causing  great 
alarm  and  distress  among  the  fugitives  from  the  town  en- 
camped there. 

Occasionally  they  directed  their  fire  towards  the  houses 
that  had  escaped  the  fire  of  the  land  batteries,  and  several 
shot  and  shell  fell  near  the  O'Hallorans',  but,  fortunately, 
without  hitting  the  house.  The  volunteers  had  now  been 
released  from  duty,  and  Bob  was  free  to  wander  about  as  he 
pleased.  As,  since  his  exploit  in  fetching  in  the  fruit,  he  had 
become  known  to  every  officer  in  the  garrison,  he  was  a 
privileged  person  and  was  able  to  enter  any  of  the  batteries, 
and  to  watch  the  effects  of  their  fire  against  the  enemy's  forts 
and  lines.     He  often  spent  the  day  on  board  the  Brilliant. 


318  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

At  the  end  of  June  the  frigate  went  away  for  a  fortnight's 
cruise,  and  the  captain  invited  Bob  to  accompany  them. 

"  We  shall  all  expect  great  things  from  you,  Mr.  Repton. 
As  you  managed  to  capture  some  fifty  thousand  pounds' 
worth  of  prizes  when  you  were  on  board  that  privateer  brig, 
you  ought  to  put  the  frigate  into  the  way  of  taking  at  least 
four  times  as  much." 

"  It  is  easy  to  turn  a  brig  into  anything,  Captain  Langton, 
but  there  is  no  making  one  of  His  Majesty's  frigates  look 
other  but  what  she  is.  The  mere  sight  of  your  topsails  is 
enough  to  send  every  Spanish  craft  into  port." 

For  three  or  four  days  the  frigate  sailed  along  the  coast, 
keeping  well  out  during  the  day  and  closing  with  the  land 
in  the  evening.  Two  or  three  small  coasters  were  picked 
up  by  the  boats,  but  they  were  scarcely  worth  sending  into 
Gibraltar.  On  the  fifth  day  a  large  barque  was  seen  making 
in  from  the  south.  All  sail  was  made,  but  the  barque  had 
the  weather  gauge,  and  crossing  her  ran  into  the  shore  and 
anchored  under  the  shelter  of  a  battery. 

"That  would  be  a  prize  worth  having,  Bob,"  Jim  Sankey 
said.  "I  wonder  what  she  has  got  on  board?  Perhaps  she 
is  like  that  craft  you  captured  chock-full  of  lead  and  silver 
from  Lima." 

"  I  think  I  can  tell  you  what  she  is  full  of,"  Bob,  who  had 
been  examining  her  through  a  glass  he  had  borrowed  from 
the  third  lieutenant,  replied. 

"  How  do  you  mean  you  can  tell,  Bob  ?  She  has  not  got 
her  bill  of  lading  stuck  upon  her  broadside,  I  suppose?  " 

"She  has  not,  Jim.     But  I  can  tell  you  without  that." 

"Well,  what  has  she  got  on  board?  " 

"She  has  got  a  very  strong  crew,  Jim,  and  twenty-four 
guns." 

"  Why,  how  on  earth  did  you  know  that,  Bob?  "  he  asked, 
staring  at  his  friend  in  surprise. 

"Because,  Jim,  I  have  been  on  board,  and  counted  the 
guns.      That  is  the  craft  I  swam  off  to  nearly  two  years 


A    CRUISE    IN    THE    ''BRILLIANT."  319 

ago.  You  hunted  for  her  then,  you  know;  but  I  suppose 
she  had  gone  into  one  of  the  ports.  But  that  is  her,  I  can 
almost  swear.  I  don't  know  whether  there  is  a  better  glass 
than  this  on  board,  but  if  there  is  I  should  be  glad  to  have 
a  look-  through  it.  Yet  I  feel  certain  without  that;  her 
stern  is  of  rather  peculiar  shape,  and  that  stern  gallery  looks 
as  if  it  was  pinched  out  of  her  instead  of  being  added  on. 
We  particularly  noticed  that  when  we  were  sailing  with  her. 
I  can't  be  mistaken  about  it." 

"  I  think  the  captain  ought  to  know,  then,"  Jim  said.  "I 
will  speak  to  Mr.  Rawdon;  he  is  in  charge  of  the  watch." 

Jim  went  up  on  to  the  quarter-deck,  touched  his  hat,  and 
informed  the  second  lieutenant  what  Bob  had  told  him. 
Mr.  Rawdon  went  up  at  once  to  the  captain,  who  was  talk- 
ing to  the  first  lieutenant,  and  examining  the  barque  and 
battery  through  his  glass. 

"  Mr.  Sankey  has  reported  to  me,  sir,  that  Mr.  Repton  is 
very  strongly  of  opinion  that  the  barque  there  is  the  Spanish 
ship-of-war  he  boarded  by  night  just  after  the  beginning  of 
hostilities.  He  told  us  about  it,  sir,  and  we  spent  two  01 
three  days  in  looking  for  her." 

"Of  course  I  remember,"  the  captain  said.  "Have  the 
kindness  to  pass  the  word  for  Mr.  Repton  to  come  aft." 

Bob  soon  stood  before  the  captain. 

"  Mr.  Rawdon  tells  me  that  you  are  of  opinion  that  the 
barque  in  there  is  the  disguised  Spanish  sloop  you  boarded 
two  years  ago?  " 

"Yes,  sir,  I  am  almost  sure  of  it;  but  I  should  like  to 
have  another  look  at  her  through  your  glass  before  I  speak 
with  certainty." 

The  captain  handed  his  glass,  which  was  a  remarkably 
good  one,  to  Bob. 

"That  is  her,"  Bob  said  after  a  minute's  examination. 
"  I  could  swear  to  her  anywhere;  "  and  he  then  pointed  out 
to  the  captain  the  peculiarities  he  had  noticed.  "I  can 
make  out  her  figure-head  too,"  he  said.     "It  is  a  saint, 


320  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

though  I  don't  know  what  saint;  but  if  you  notice,  sir,  you 
will  see  that,  instead  of  standing  nearly  upright,  he  leans 
much  more  forward  than  usual.  I  remember  the  captain 
saying  he  looked  as  if  he  was  going  to  take  a  header.  So 
with  that  and  the  stern  gallery  there  is  no  possibility  of  mis- 
taking her. 

The  captain  again  examined  the  barque  through  his  glass. 
"Yes.  I  notice  both  the  points  you  mention.  Well,  I  am 
much  obliged  to  you  for  the  news;  it  is  very  important.  I 
was  thinking  of  cutting  her  out  to-night,  and  should  have 
fallen  into  the  same  error  you  so  nearly  did  in  the  privateer." 

Bob  bowed  and  retired.  "We  should  have  caught  a 
tartar,  Mr.  Lyons,  if  we  had  sent  the  force  we  were  talking 
about  to  cut  her  out;  but  I  think  we  must  have  her  some- 
how." 

"  I  hope  so,  sir.  We  have  had  a  very  dull  time  of  it,  with 
nothing  to  do  but  to  exchange  shots  occasionally  with  those 
gun-boats,  and  to  get  under  sail  now  and  then  to  escort 
some  craft  or  other  into  port.  The  navy  hasn't  done 
much  to  boast  of  during  this  siege,  and  it  has  been  very 
hard  on  us  being  cooped  up  there  in  Gibraltar  while  the 
fleet  all  over  the  world  are  picking  up  prizes  and  fighting 
the  French  and  Spanish.  Why,  we  haven't  made  enough 
prize-money  in  the  last  two  years  to  pay  for  pipe-clay  and 
powder." 

"Yes,  we  all  feel  that,  Mr.  Lyons.  We  have  certainly 
been  terribly  out  of  luck.  That  privateer  Mr.  Repton  was 
on  board  did  more  in  her  week's  cruise  than  all  His  Ma- 
jesty's ships  in  Gibraltar  have  done  in  the  last  two  years. 
We  must  take  that  craft  inshore  if  we  can.  There  is  no 
doubt  she  is  ably  commanded,  for  she  is  so  well  disguised 
that  we  never  suspected  her  for  a  moment;  therefore  there 
is  not  the  least  chance  of  our  catching  her  napping.  She  is 
a  formidable  craft  to  cut  out  with  the  boats,  even  if  she 
hadn't  the  aid  of  die  battery." 

"There  is  no  doubt  about  that,  sir.     I  think  Mr.  Repton 


A    CRUISE    IN   THE    "BRILLIANT."  321 

reported  before  that  she  carried  twenty-four  guns,  and  all 
heavy  metal.  As  far  as  I  can  make  out  with  the  glass  the 
battery  mounts  twelve  guns." 

"Yes,  that  is  the  number.  Besides,  you  see,  we  dare  not 
take  the  frigate  in  nearer  than  a  mile;  and  a  mile  and  a 
quarter  would  be  safer.  So  that  we  could  not  be  of  any 
assistance  beyond  annoying  the  battery  with  long  shot.  It 
seems  to  me  that  there  is  only  one  chance." 

"What  is  that,  sir?" 

"  We  must  land  a  strong  party  some  distance  along  the 
shore,  and  make  an  attack  upon  the  batter^  and  carry  it  by 
surprise.  I  can  make  out  some  huts  behind  it.  I  suppose 
they  wouldn't  have  less  than  a  hundred  soldiers  there — 
perhaps  a  hundred  and  fifty.  If  we  can  drive  them  off  and 
capture  the  battery,  we  can  open  fire  down  upon  the  ship. 
At  that  distance  we  could  fairly  sweep  her  deck  with  grape. 
The  rest  of  our  boats  would  be  lying  ahead  and  astern  of 
her,  and  as  soon  as  the  battery  opened  they  could  make  a 
dash  for  her.  The  crew  of  the  barque  would  be  so  dis- 
organized by  the  fire  of  the  battery  that  they  should  hardly 
be  able  to  make  very  much  of  a  fight  of  it." 

"That  seems  a  capital  plan,  sir.  The  only  question  is  the 
number  of  hands.  Suppose  you  send  eighty  to  take  the 
battery,  we  should  only  have  as  many  more  to  spare  for  the 
boat  attack  on  the  ship,  and  that  would  leave  us  with  only 
a  hundred  on  board.  I  should  think  she  would  carry  a 
fighting  crew  of  two  hundred  at  least.  The  Spaniards  are 
always  very  strongly  manned." 

"  I  should  think  that  would  be  about  it.  They  are  long 
odds,  but  not  too  long,  I  think,  Mr.  Lyons.  At  any  rate,  we 
will  try.  Lay  her  off  the  land,  Mr.  Lyons,  then  we  will  go 
into  my  cabin  and  make  all  the  arrangements." 

There  was  much  talk  and  excitement  among  the  crew,  f©r 
the  general  opinion  was  that  the  captain  would  try  to  cut 
out  the  craft  lying  under  the  Spanish  battery.  The  navy 
had  for  a  long  time  been  very  sore  at  their  inactivity,  and 


oJJ  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

had  fretted  that  no  attempts  had  been  made  to  cut  out  the 
Spanish  vessels  across  the  bay.  The  admiral  had  steadily 
set  his  face  against  all  such  attempts,  considering  that  the 
benefits  to  be  gained  did  not  justify  the.  risks;  for  had  any 
of  his  small  squadron  been  damaged  or  sunk  by  the  guns  of 
the  batteries  the  consequences  would  have  been  very  serious, 
as  the  Spanish  gun-boats  would  then  have  been  able  to  carry 
on  their  operations  without  check,  and  it  would  have  been 
next  to  impossible  for  vessels  to  run  the  blockade. 

The  information  Bob  had  given  was  soon  known  to  all  the 
officers,  and  was  not  long  before  it  permeated  through  the 
crew  and  added  to  their  anxiety  to  cut  the  Spaniard  out;  for 
although  the  prize-money  would  be  less  than  if  she  had  been 
a  richly-laden  merchantman,  the  honour  and  glory  was  pro- 
portionately greater.  The  undertaking  would  be  a  serious 
one,  but  the  prospect  of  danger  is  never  deterrent  to  a  Bri- 
tish sailor. 

There  was  great  satisfaction  when,  presently,  it  became 
known  that  the  crews  of  the  whole  of  the  boats  were  to 
muster.  Arms  were  inspected,  cutlasses  ground,  and  every- 
thing prepared.  It  was  early  in  the  morning  when  the 
Spanish  barque  had  been  first  discovered,  and  ten  o'clock 
when  the  frigate  had  sailed  away  from  land,  as  if  consider- 
ing the  Spanish  craft  too  strongly  protected  to  be  attacked. 
When  five  miles  away  from  land  her  course  was  laid  east, 
and  under  easy  sail  she  maintained  the  same  distance  on 
the  coast. 

The  plan  of  operation  was,  that  the  first  lieutenant,  with 
thirty  marines  and  as  many  sailors,  should  land  at  a  spot 
some  two  miles  from  the  battery,  and  should  make  their 
way  inland  and  come  down  upon  the  position  from  the  rear. 
A  hundred  men  in  the  rest  of  the  boats  should  make  for  the 
barque  direct.  This  party  was  to  act  in  two  divisions,  under 
the  second  and  third  lieutenants  respectively,  and  were  to 
lie  one  to  the  east  and  the  other  to  the  west  of  the  barque, 
and  remain  there  until  the  guns  of  the  battery  opened  upon 


A    CRUISE    IN    THE    "  BRILLIANT."  323 

her;  then  they  were  to  row  for  her  at  all  speed,  a  blue  light 
being  burned  by  each  division  when  they  were  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  the  enemy,  as  a  warning  to  their  friends 
in  the  battery,  who  were  then  to  fire  round-shot  instead  of 
grape.  The  frigate  was  to  venture  in  as  closely  as  she  dared, 
anchor  broadside  on,  and  open  fire  at  the  enemy.  Jim  San- 
key  was  told  off  to  the  landing-party,  and  Bob  went  up  to 
the  captain  and  requested  leave  to  accompany  him  as  a 
volunteer. 

"You  see,  sir,"  he  said,  "we  may  fall  in  with  peasants,  or 
be  challenged  by  sentries  as  we  approach  the  battery,  and 
my  ability  to  speak  Spanish  might  be  an  advantage." 

"It  would  undoubtedly,"  the  captain  said.  "Well,  Mr. 
Repton,  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  accept  your  services." 

At  four  in  the  afternoon  the  frigate's  head  was  again 
turned  west,  and  at  ten  o'clock  the  boats  for  the  landing- 
party  were  lowered,  and  the  men  taking  their  places  in  them 
rowed  away  for  the  shore,  which  was  some  two  miles  distant. 
The  night  was  dark,  but  Mr.  Lyons  had  with  him  a  pocket- 
compass,  and  had  before  embarking  taken  the  exact  bearings 
of  the  battery  from  the  spot  where  they  would  land.  He 
was  therefore  able  to  shape  his  course  to  a  point  half  a  mile 
in  its  rear.  The  strictest  silence  had  been  enjoined,  and 
the  little  body  of  sailors  made  their  way  inland  until  they 
came  upon  a  road  running  parallel  with  the  shore.  They 
followed  this  for  about  half  a  mile,  and  then  struck  off  inland 
again.  The  country  was  highly  cultivated,  with  orchards, 
vineyards,  and  orange  groves.  Their  progress  was  slow,  for 
they  had  many  times  to  cut  a  passage  through  the  hedges  of 
prickly-pear.  At  last  they  reached  a  spot  where  they 
believed  themselves  to  be  directly  behind  the  battery. 
Here  there  was  a  path  leading  in  the  direction  which  they 
wished  to  follow.  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  they  made  out 
some  lights  ahead  of  them,  and  the  lieutenant  halted  his  men 
and  again  repeated  the  orders  they  had  before  received. 

"You  are  to  go  straight  at  the  huts.     As  you  approach 


324  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

them  you  are  to  break  up  into  parties  of  ten,  as  already 
formed.  Each  party  is  to  attack  one  hut,  cut  down  all  who 
resist,  seize  and  carry  away  all  arms.  Never  mind  the  men  if 
you  have  once  got  their  arms;  they  cannot  trouble  us  after- 
wards. Waste  no  time;  but  directly  you  have  got  all  the 
firelocks  in  one  hut  make  for  another.  As  soon  as  all  have 
been  cleared  out  make  for  the  battery.  Now  let  the  officers 
told  off  to  command  parties,  each  fall  in  at  the  head  of  his 
ten  men.  Mr.  Repton,  you  will  keep  beside  me  to  answer 
a  challenge." 

They  were  within  fifty  yards  of  the  huts  when  a  sentinel 
challenged.     "Who  goes  there?  " 

"Soldiers  of  the  king,"  Bob  answered  in  Spanish,  "with 
reinforcements  for  you." 

"Halt  till  I  call  an  officer,"  the  sentry  said.  But  the 
lieutenant  gave  the  word,  and  the  whole  party  dashed  for- 
ward at  a  run.  The  sentry  hesitated  in  surprise  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  then  discharged  his  piece.  The  sailors  gave  a 
cheer  and  rushed  at  the  huts.  Taken  utterly  by  surprise, 
the  Spaniards  at  first  offered  no  resistance  whatever  as  the 
sailors  rushed  in;  indeed  few  of  them  attempted  to  get  out 
of  bed. .  The  blue  lights  with  which  one  man  in  each  party 
was  provided  were  lighted  as  they  entered,  and  the  arms 
were  collected  without  a  moment's  delay,  and  they  were  off 
again  before  the  Spaniards  were  fairly  awake  to  what  had 
happened. 

There  were  ten  huts,  each  containing  twenty  men.  Two 
or  three  shots  were  fired  as  they  entered  the  last  two  huts; 
but  the  Spaniards  were  overpowered  in  an  instant,  as  they 
were  here  vastly  outnumbered.  The  officers  were  made 
prisoners,  and  ten  men  being  placed  over  them,  the  rest  of 
the  force,  now  carrying  three  muskets  each,  ran  down  into 
the  battery.  The  sentries  here  threw  down  their  arms  at 
once,  and  were  allowed  to  go  where  they  pleased. 

"  Pile  the  arms  you  have  captured !  "  Lieutenant  Lyons 
ordered.     "  Run  the  ram-rods  down  them,  and  see  if  they 


A   CRUISE   IN   THE    "BRILLIANT.  o2o 

are  loaded.  The  Spaniards  are  not  likely  to  rally,  but  if 
they  do  we  can  give  them  a  hot  reception.  Now,  gunner, 
break  open  the  magazine  there,  and  load  with  grape." 

By  this  time  the  drum  was  beating  to  arms  in  the  vessel 
below,  the  shots  fired  having  given  the  alarm,  and  lights 
were  seen  to  flash  along  the  deck.  In  two  minutes  the  guns 
were  loaded,  and  these  opened  with  a  fire  of  grape  upon  the 
deck  of  the  vessel,  which  was  near  enough  to  be  distinctly 
seen  by  the  glare  of  the  blue  lights.  As  the  first  gun  was 
fired  an  answering  flash  came  from  sea  as  the  frigate  also 
opened  fire.  For  five  minutes  the  guns  were  worked  fast, 
then  two  lights  burst  out  in  close  succession  ahead  and  astern 
of  the  barque. 

"  Cease  firing  grape ;  load  with  round  shot !  "  the  lieutenant 
shouted;  but  a  moment  later  a  loud  cheer  broke  from  the 
sailors,  as  by  the  lights  in  the  boats  the  Spanish  ensign  was 
seen  to  run  up  to  the  peak  of  the  barque,  and  then  at  once 
to  fall  again  to  the  deck.     The  barque  had  surrendered. 

"Now,  gunner,  spike  the  guns,"  the  lieutenant  ordered, 
"and  then  tumble  them  off  the  carriages." 

This  was  soon  done. 

"  Now  let  each  man  take  one  of  the  muskets,  and  throw 
the  rest  of  them  over  the  parapet  down  the  rocks.  That  is 
right.     Now,  fall  in!  " 

The  sailors  fell  in  and  marched  back  to  the  huts.  The 
Spanish  officers  were  placed  in  the  midst,  and  twenty  men 
were  told  off  to  fire  the  huts.  This  was  soon  done.  The 
lieutenant  waited  until  they  were  well  alight,  and  then  gave 
the  order  to  march.  They  took  the  coast  road  this  time  for 
two  miles  and  then  struck  off  to  the  shore,  and  saw,  a  few 
hundred  yards  away,  the  lantern  that  had  been  hoisted  on 
one  of  the  boats  as  a  signal.  They  were  challenged  by  the 
boat-keeper,  who  had  moored  the  boats  twenty  yards  from 
the  shore.  A  cheer  broke  out  as  the  answer  was  given. 
The  grapnels  were  pulled  up  and  the  boats  were  soon  along- 
side.     The   party  embarking   rowed  out  in  the  direction 


326  HELD    FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

where  they  knew  the  frigate  to  be,  and  as  soon  as  they  were 
fairly  out  from  the  shore  they  saw  the  three  lights  she  had 
hoisted  as  a  signal.     In  half  an  hour  they  were  alongside. 

"I  need  not  ask  if  you  have  succeeded,  Mr.  Lyons,"  the 
captain  said  as  the  boats  came  up,  "  for  we  have  seen  that. 
You  have  not  had  many  casualties,  I  hope?  " 

"  Only  one,  sir.  One  of  the  marines  has  a  ball  in  his- 
shoulder.  There  were  only  five  or  six  shots  fired  in  all,  and 
no  one  else  has  as  much  as  a  scratch." 

"I  am  truly  glad  to  hear  it,"  the  captain  said.  "It  has 
been  a  most  successful  surprise.  I  don't  think  the  boats 
can  have  suffered  either." 

"I  don't  think  there  was  a  shot  fired  at  them,  sir,"  the 
lieutenant  said.  "The  Spaniard  ran  up  his  colours  and 
dropped  them  again  directly  the  boats  showed  their  lights. 
I  fancy  they  must  have  suffered  very  heavily  from  our  fire. 
You  see,  they  were  almost  under  our  guns,  and  we  must 
have  pretty  well  torn  up  their  decks." 

"We  shall  soon  hear,"  the  captain  said.  "The  boats  are 
towing  the  Spaniard  out,  she  will  be  alongside  in  a  few 
minutes." 

The  wind  had  entirely  dropped  now,  and  in  a  short  time 
the  Spaniard  was  brought  close  alongside  the  frigate,  and 
Mr.  Rawdon  came  on  board  to  report. 

"The  ship  is  the  San  Joaquin,  mounting  twenty-four  guns, 
with  a  crew  of  two  hundred  and  twenty  men,  sir.  Her 
casualties  are  very  heavy.  The  men  had  just  poured  up  on 
deck,  it  seems,  when  the  battery  opened  fire.  The  captain, 
first  lieutenant,  and  fifty-six  men  are  killed,  and  there  are 
forty-three  wounded.  We  have  no  casualties.  Their  flag 
came  down  just  as  we  got  alongside." 

"Then  as  far  as  we  are  concerned,"  the  captain  said, 
"  this  is  one  of  the  most  bloodless  victories  on  record.  There 
will  be  no  death  promotions  this  time,  gentlemen,  but  I  am 
sure  you  won't  mind  that.  It  has  been  a  most  admirably 
managed  affair  altogether,  and  I  am  sure  that  it  will  be 


A    CRUISE    IN   THE    "BRILLIANT."  327 

appreciated  by  my  lords  of  the  admiralty.  You  will  take 
command  of  her  at  present,  Mr.  Lyons,  with  the  crew  now 
on  board.  Dr.  Colfax  and  his  assistant  will  go  off  with  you 
to  attend  to  the  wounded,  and  will  remain  on  board  until 
we  get  into  Gibraltar.  Mr.  Rawdon,  you  will  be  acting 
first,  and  I  can  only  say  that  I  hope  you  will  be  confirmed." 

The  frigate  and  her  prize  at  once  sailed  for  Gibraltar. 
On  their  arrival  there  the  captain  took  some  pains,  by 
sending  up  larger  yards  and  by  repainting  the  broad  white 
streaks  showing  the  port-holes,  to  restore  the  prize  to  its 
proper  appearance  as  a  ship-of-war. 

"  We  should  not  get  half  so  much  credit  for  her  capture 
if  you  took  her  into  Portsmouth  looking  like  a  lubberly 
merchantman,"  the  captain  said  to  Mr.  Lyons.  "I  don't 
care  about  patching  up  all  those  shot-holes  in  the  bulwarks. 
That  gives  her  the  appearance  of  having  been  taken  after  a 
sharp  action;  and  the  deck  looks  almost  like  a  ploughed 
field.  I  shall  give  you  fifty  men,  Mr.  Lyons,  I  can't  spare 
more  than  that." 

"That  will  do,  sir.  Nothing  smaller  than  ourselves  is 
likely  to  interfere  with  us,  and  if  a  large  frigate  engaged  us 
we  should  not  have  more  chance  with  a  hundred  men  on 
board  than  with  fifty.  In  that  case  we  shall  have  to  trust 
to  our  legs.  Of  course  if  we  fall  in  with  two  or  three  of 
the  enemy's  ships  I  should  run  up  the  Spanish  flag.  I  will 
find  out  if  I  can  from  the  prisoners  what  is  her  private 
number;  if  I  hoist  that  and  a  Spanish  flag  it  ought  to  deceive 
them.      I  will  get  her  back  to  England  if  possible,  sir." 

"You  will,  of  course,  take  home  my  report,  Mr.  Lyons. 
It  is  sure  to  give  you  your  step,  I  think." 

Next  day  the  San  Joaquin  sailed,  and  six  weeks  later  a 
sloop  of  war  brought  despatches  to  the  admiral.  Among 
them  was  a  letter  from  the  admiralty  to  Captain  Langton, 
expressing  their  gratification  at  the  very  able  arrangements 
by  which  he  had  captured  and  silenced  a  Spanish  battery, 
and  cut  out  the  sloop  of  war,  San  Joaquin,  anchored  under 


328  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

its  guns,  without  any  losg  of  life.  It  was,  they  said,  a  feat 
almost  without  parallel.  They  stated  that  they  had,  in 
accordance  with  his  recommendation,  promoted  Mr.  Lyons 
to  the  rank  of  commander,  and  they  confirmed  Mr.  Rawdon 
in  rank  of  first  lieutenant,  the  third  lieutenant  becoming 
second,  and  the  senior  passed  midshipman,  Mr.  Outram, 
being  promoted  to  that  of  third  lieutenant. 

No  change  of  any  importance  had  taken  place  at  Gibraltar 
during  the  absence  of  the  Brilliant,  except  that  the  governor 
had  determined  to  retaliate  for  the  nightly  annoyance  of 
the  gun-boats,  and  accordingly  six  guns  were  fixed  at  a  very 
considerable  elevation,  behind  the  Old  Mole,  and  shells 
fired  from  them.  These  reached  the  enemy's  camp,  and 
caused,  as  could  be  seen  from  the  heights,  great  alarm  and 
confusion.  It  was  determined  that  in  future,  when  the 
enemy's  gun-boats  bombarded  our  camps  and  huts,  we  should 
retaliate  by  throwing  shells  into  their  camp. 

The  day  after  the  Brilliant  returned,  the  Helena  sloop  of 
war,  with  fourteen  small  guns,  was  seen  working  in  towards 
the  Rock.  The  wind,  however,  was  so  light  that  she  scarcely 
moved  through  the  water.  Fourteen  Spanish  gun-boats 
came  out  to  cut  her  off.  For  a  time  she  maintained  a  gal- 
lant contest  against  odds  that  seemed  overwhelming, 
although  the  garrison  gave  her  up  as  lost.  But  when  the 
wind  suddenly  freshened,  she  sailed  through  her  opponents 
into  the  port,  where  she  was  received  with  ringing  cheers 
by  the  soldiers  lining  the  batteries. 

Week  after  week  passed  in  minor  hostilities.  There  was 
a  constant  exchange  of  fire  between  our  batteries  and  those 
of  the  enemy.  The  gun-boats  continued  their  operations, 
and  we  in  return  shelled  their  camp.  Fresh  works  were 
erected  on  both  sides.  Casualties  took  place  almost  daily, 
but  both  troops  and  inhabitants  were  now  so  accustomed  to 
the  continual  firing  that  they  went  about  their  ordinary 
avocations  without  paying  any  attention  to  the  shot  and 
shell,  unless  one  of  the  latter  fell  close  at  hand.     November 


A   CRUISE   IN   THE    "BRILLIANT."  329 

came  in,  and  in  spite  of  the  heavy  fire  maintained  by  our  bat- 
teries the  enemy's  works  continually  advanced  towards  the 
Rock,  and  when,  in  the  middle  of  the  month,  it  was  seen  that 
the  new  batteries  were  being  armed  and  placed  in  readiness 
to  open  fire,  the  governor  determined  to  take  the  offensive. 

Accordingly,  after  gun-fire  on  the  evening  of  the  twenty- 
-sixth,  an  order  was  issued  for  all  the  grenadier  and  light 
infantry  companies,  with  the  12th  and  Hardenberg's  Regi- 
ment, to  assemble  at  twelve  o'clock  at  night,  with  a  party 
of  Engineers  and  two  hundred  workmen  from  the  line  regi- 
ments, for  a  sortie  upon  the  enemy's  batteries.  The  39th 
and  59th  Regiments  were  to  parade  at  the  same  hour  to 
act  as  support  to  the  attacking  party.  A  hundred  sailors 
from  the  ships-of-war  were  to  accompany  them.  The 
attacking  party  numbered  1014  rank  and  file,  besides  officers 
and  non-commissioned  officers;  this  was  exclusive  of  the  two 
regiments  forming  the  supports.  The  attacking  force  was 
divided  into  three  columns. 

At  a  quarter  to  three  in  the  morning  the  column  moved 
out.  The  enemy's  pickets  discovered  the  advance  as  soon  as 
it  passed  the  outlying  work  known  as  Forbes'  Barrier,  and 
after  firing  fell  back.  Lieutenant-colonel  Hugo's  column, 
which  was  in  front,  pushed  on  rapidly  and  entered  the 
enemy's  lines  without  opposition,  when  the  pioneers  began 
to  dismantle  the  work.  Hardenberg's  Regiment  and  the 
central  column  attacked  and  carried  the  tremendous  work 
known  as  the  San  Carlos  Battery.  The  enemy  were  unable 
to  withstand  for  a  moment  the  fierce  attack  of  the  troops, 
and  in  a  very  short  time  the  whole  of  the  advanced  works 
were  in  our  hands. 

The  leading  corps  formed  up  to  resist  any  attempt  the 
enemy  might  make  to  repel  the  sortie,  and  the  working 
parties  began  to  destroy  the  enemy's  work.  Faggots  dipped 
in  tar  were  laid  against  the  facines  and  gabions,  and  in  a 
short  time  columns  of  fire  and  smoke  rose  from  all  parts  of 
the  works  occupied.      In  an  hour  the  object  of  the  sortie 


330  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

was  effected.  Trains  were  laid  to  the  magazines  and  the 
troops  fell  back.  Just  as  they  reached  the  town  the  prin- 
cipal magazine  blew  up  with  a  tremendous  explosion. 

The  enemy  appeared  to  have  been  wholly  confounded  at 
this  sudden  attack  upon  their  advanced  works,  the  fugitives 
from  which  created  a  panic  throughout  the  whole  army;  and 
although  the  main  Spanish  lines,  mounting  a  hundred  and 
thirty-five  heavy  pieces  of  artillery,  were  but  a  few  hundred 
yards  behind  the  works  attacked,  not  a  single  shot  was  fired 
at  the  troops  engaged. 

The  batteries  continued  burning  for  three  days,  and  when 
they  ceased  to  smoke  nothing  but  heaps  of  sand  remained 
of  the  works  that  had  cost  the  enemy  months  of  labour  to 
erect.  It  was  some  days  before  the  Spaniards  appeared  to 
come  to  any  definite  conclusion  as  to  their  next  step.  Then 
large  numbers  of  men  set  to  work  to  re-establish  their 
batteries,  and  things  fell  into  their  old  routine  again.  Every 
day  shots  were  exchanged  occasionally.  Vessels  made  their 
way  in  and  out,  being  sometimes  briskly  chased  by  the 
enemy's  gun-boats,  sometimes  passing  in  with  little  interfer- 
ence ;  for  by  this  time  the  Spaniards  must  have  recognized 
that  there  was  no  hope  whatever  of  reducing  Gibraltar  by 
blockade.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  sickness  in  the  garri- 
son; but  comparatively  little  of  this  was  due  to  scurvy,  for 
every  available  corner  of  ground  was  now  cultivated,  and 
the  supply  of  vegetables,  if  not  absolutely  sufficient  to 
counteract  the  effects  of  so  long  and  monotonous  a  diet  of 
salt  meat,  was  yet  ample  to  prevent  any  serious  outbreak  of 
scurvy  recurring. 

In  February  fresh  activity  was  manifested  among  the 
besiegers.  Vast  numbers  of  mules  were  seen  bringing 
facines  to  their  works.  At  the  end  of  March  the  Vernon 
store-ship  arrived,  and  a  few  hours  later  four  transports 
with  the  97th  Regiment,  under  the  convoy  of  two  frigates, 
came  in.  A  singular  series  of  casualties  was  caused  by  a 
single  shot,  which  entered  an  embrasure  in  Willis's  Bat- 


A    CRUISE    IN   THE    "BRILLIANT."  331 

tery,  took  both  legs  off  two  men,  one  leg  off  another,  and 
wounded  another  man  in  both  legs;  thus  four  men  had  seven 
legs  taken  off  or  wounded  by  one  shot.  These  casualties 
were  caused  by  the  inattention  of  the  men  to  the  warning 
of  a  boy  who  was  looking  out  for  shot.  There  were  two 
boys  in  the  garrison  whose  eyesight  was  so  keen  that  they 
could  see  the  enemy's  shot  coming,  and  both  were  employed 
in  the  batteries  especially  exposed  to  the  enemy's  fire,  to 
warn  the  men  to  withdraw  themselves  into  shelter  when 
shot  were  coming. 

This  quickness  of  eyesight  was  altogether  exceptional. 
Standing  behind  a  gun,  and  knowing  therefore  the  exact 
course  the  shot  will  take,  it  is  comparatively  easy  for  a 
quick-sighted  man  to  follow  it,  but  there  are  few  indeed 
who  can  see  a  shot  coming  towards  them.  In  this  respect 
the  ear  is  a  far  better  index  than  the  eye.  A  person  pos- 
sessed of  a  fair  amount  of  nerve  can  judge  to  within  a  few 
yards  the  line  that  a  shot  coming  towards  him  will  take. 
When  first  heard  the  sound  is  as  a  faint  murmur,  increasing 
as  it  approaches  to  a  sound  resembling  the  blowing  off  of 
steam  by  an  express  engine  as  it  rushes  through  a  station. 
At  first  the  keenest  ear  could  not  tell  the  direction  in  which 
the  shot  is  travelling,  but  as  it  approaches  the  difference  in 
the  angle  becomes  perceptible  to  the  ear,  and  a  calm  listener 
will  distinguish  whether  it  will  pass  within  twenty  or  thirty 
yards  to  the  right  or  left.  It  would  require  an  extra- 
ordinary acute  ear  to  determine  more  closely  than  this,  the 
angle  of  flight  being  so  very  small  until  the  shot  approaches 
almost  within  striking  distance. 

The  garrison  had  been  trying  experiments  with  carcasses 
and  red-hot  shot.  A  carcass  is  a  hollow  shot  or  shell  pierced 
with  holes,  but  instead  of  being  charged  with  powder  to  ex- 
plode it  either  by  means  of  a  fuse  or  by  percussion,  it  is  filled 
with  a  fierce-burning  composition,  so  that  upon  falling  it 
will  set  on  fire  anything  inflammable  near  it.  Red-hot  shot 
are  fired  by  putting  a  wet  wad  in  over  the  dry  wad  next  to 


332  HELD    FAST    FOR   ENGLAND. 

the  powder.  The  red-hot  shot  is  then  run  into  the  gun  and 
rammed  against  the  wet  wad,  and  the  gun  fired  in  the  usual 
way.  The  carcasses  several  times  set  fire  to  the  enemy's 
works,  but  the  use  of  the  red-hot  shot  was  reserved  for  a 
pressing  emergency.  A  number  of  furnaces  were  constructed 
in  the  various  batteries  for  heating  the  shot,  which  neces- 
sarily required  a  considerable  amount  of  time  to  bring  them 
to  a  white  heat. 

News  came  in  April  that  great  preparations  were  making 
at  Cadiz  and  other  Mediterranean  ports,  for  a  fresh  and 
vigorous  attack  on  Gibraltar,  and  that  the  Due  de  Crillon, 
who  had  lately  captured  Minorca,  would  bring  twenty  thou- 
sand French  and  Spanish  troops  in  addition  to  those  at  pre- 
sent engaged  in  the  siege;  that  a  large  fleet  would  also  be 
present,  and  that  the  principal  attack  would  be  made  by 
means  of  ships  turned  into  floating  batteries  and  protected 
by  an  immense  thickness  of  cork  or  other  wood.  On  the 
9th  of  May  the  ships  began  to  arrive.  Among  them  were 
seven  large  vessels,  which  appeared  to  be  old  men-of-war. 
A  large  number  of  workmen  immediately  went  on  board 
them  and  began  to  lower  the  topmasts.  This  confirmed  the 
news  in  respect  to  the  floating  batteries. 

About  this  time  three  store-ships  fortunately  arrived  from 
England  with  powder,  shell,  and  other  stores.  As  there 
could  be  no  longer  any  doubt  that  the  attack  was  this  time 
to  be  delivered  on  the  seaface,  strong  working  parties  were 
employed  in  strengthening  the  water  batteries,  in  erecting 
lines  of  palisades  to  prevent  a  landing  from  boats,  and  in 
building  furnaces  for  the  heating  of  shot  in  these  batteries 
also.  At  this  time  the  Engineers  began  to  drive  a  gallery 
through  the  Rock  facing  the  neutral  ground  in  order  to 
place  guns  there.  This  work  was  carried  on  to  the  end  of 
the  siege,  and  the  batteries  thus  erected  are  now  among 
the  strongest  of  the  defences  of  Gibraltar.  At  the  end  of 
the  month  a  great  fleet,  consisting  of  upwards  of  a  hundred 
sail,  entered  the  bay  and  anchored  off  Algeciras,  some  nine 


A   CRUISE    IN   THE    "BRILLIANT."  333 

or  ten  thousand  troops  were  landed,  and  from  that  time 
scarce  a  day  passed  without  fresh  vessels  laden  with  stores 
and  materials  for  the  siege  arriving  in  the  bay. 

Early  in  May  twelve  gun-boats  that  had  been  sent  out  in 
pieces  from  England  were  completed  and  launched.  Each 
carried  one  gun,  and  was  manned  by  twenty-one  men.  Six 
of  these  drew  their  crews  from  the  Brilliant,  five  from  the 
Porcupine,  and  one  from  the  Speedwell  cutter.  These  craft 
had  been  specially  designed  for  the  purpose  of  engaging  the 
enemy's  gun-boats  and  for  convoying  ships  into  the  port. 
On  the  i  ith  of  June  a  shell  from  the  enemy  burst  just  at  the 
door  of  one  of  the  magazines  of  Willis's  Battery.  This  in- 
stantly blew  up,  and  the  explosion  was  so  violent  that  it 
seemed  to  shake  the  whole  Rock.  Fourteen  men  were  killed 
and  fifteen  wounded,  and  a  great  deal  of  injury  done  to  the 
battery;  but  strong  parties  at  once  set  to  work  to  repair  it. 
A  few  days  later  a  French  convoy  of  sixty  sail  and  three 
frigates  anchored  in  the  bay,  and  from  these  another  five 
thousand  French  troops  landed. 

At  the  end  of  the  month  the  Due  de  Crillon  arrived  and 
took  command  of  the  besiegers.  A  private  letter  that  was 
brought  in  by  a  privateer  that  had  captured  a  merchantman 
on  her  way,  gave  the  garrison  an  idea  of  the  method  in  which 
the  attack  was  to  be  made.  It  stated  that  ten  ships  were  to 
be  fortified  six  or  seven  feet  thick  with  green  timber  bolted 
with  iron,  and  covered  with  cork,  junk,  and  raw  hides.  They 
were  to  carry  guns  of  heavy  metal,  and  to  be  bomb-proof  on 
the  top,  with  a  descent  for  the  shells  to  slide  off.  These 
vessels,  which  they  supposed  would  be  impregnable,  were  to 
be  moored  within  half  gunshot  of  the  walls  with  iron  chains, 
and  large  boats  with  mantlets  were  to  lie  off  at  some  dis- 
tance full  of  troops  ready  to  take  advantage  of  occurrences; 
that  the  mantlets  of  these  boats  were  to  be  formed  with 
hinges  to  fall  down  to  facilitate  their  landing.  There  would 
by  that  time  be  forty  thousand  men  in  camp,  but  the  prin- 
cipal attack  was  to  be  made  by  sea,  to  be  covered  by  a  squa- 


334  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

dron  of  men-of-war  with  bomb-ketches,  floating  batteries, 
gun  and  mortar  boats,  &c. ;  and  that  the  Comte  D'Artois, 
brother  to  the  King  of  France,  with  other  great  personages, 
was  to  be  present  at  the  attack. 

At  this  time  the  enemy  fired  but  little,  and  the  garrison 
were  able  to  turn  their  whole  attention  to  strengthen  the 
points  most  threatened.  The  activity  of  the  enemy  on  their 
offensive  works  on  the  neutral  ground  continued,  and  in  one 
night  a  strong  and  lofty  work  five  hundred  yards  long,  with 
a  communication  thirteen  hundred  yards  long  to  the  works, 
was  raised.  It  was  calculated  that  ten  thousand  men  at  least 
must  have  been  employed  upon  it,  and  no  less  than  a  million 
and  a  half  sand-bags  used  in  its  construction.  There  could 
be  no  doubt  now  that  the  critical  moment  was  approaching, 
and  that  ere  long  the  garrison  would  be  exposed  to  the  most 
tremendous  fire  ever  opened  upon  a  besieged  place. 


(3% 


CHAPTER     XVII. 

THE    FLOATING    BATTERIES. 

IN  spite  of  the  unremitting  work,  of  the  daily  cannonade, 
of  illness  and  hardship,  life  on  the  Rock  had  not  been 
unpleasant  to  the  O'Hallorans.  Although  many  of  the 
officers'  wives  had  at  one  time  or  another  taken  advantage 
of  ships  sailing  from  the  port  to  return  home,  or  rather  to 
endeavour  to  do  so,  for  a  considerable  number  of  the  vessels 
that  left  were  captured  by  the  Spaniards  before  getting 
through  the  Straits,  there  still  remained  Sufficient  for  agree- 
able society,  and  the  O'Hallorans'  was,  more  than  any  other 
house,  the  general  meeting-place. 

From  its  position  in  the  hollow  it  was  sheltered  from  the 
fire  of  all  the  shore  batteries,  whose  long-distance  shots 
searched  all  the  lower  parts  of  the  Rock,  while  the  resources 
of  the  establishment  enabled  the  O'Hallorans  to  afford  an 
open-handed  hospitality  that  would  have  been  wholly  beyond 
the  means  of  others.  They  had  long  since  given  up  selling 
any  of  their  produce,  distributing  all  their  surplus  eggs 
among  families  where  there  was  illness  or  sending  them  up 
to  the  hospitals,  and  doing  the  same  with  their  chickens 
and  vegetables.  The  greatest  care  was  bestowed  upon  the 
poultry,  fresh  broods  being  constantly  raised,  so  that  they 
could  kill  eight  or  ten  couple  a  week  and  still  keep  up  their 
stock  to  its  full  strength.  Thus,  with  gatherings  two  even- 
ings a  week  at  their  own  house  and  usually  as  many  at  the 
houses  of  their  friends,  while  Captain  O'Halloran  and  Bob 
frequently  dined  at  the  mess  of  their  own  or  other  regi- 
ments, the  time  passed  pleasantly. 


336  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

While  Carrie  was  fully  occupied  with  the  care  of  the 
house  and  a  general  superintendence  of  what  they  called 
their  farm,  Bob  was  never  at  a  loss  for  amusement.  There 
was  always  something  to  see,  some  fresh  work  being  exe- 
cuted, some  fresh  development  in  the  defences,  while  he 
was  on  terms  of  friendship  with  almost  every  officer  in  the 
garrison.  It  was  two  years  and  a  half  since  he  had  come 
out,  and  he  was  now  eighteen.  His  constant  intercourse 
with  people  older  than  himself  and  with  the  officers  of  the 
garrison,  together  with  the  exceptional  position  in  which  he 
found  himself,  made  him  in  some  respects  seem  older  than 
he  was,  but  he  still  retained  his  liveliness  and  love  of  fun. 
His  spirits  never  flagged,  and  he  was  a  general  favourite 
with  all  who  knew  him. 

On  the  19th  of  August  a  boat  with  a  flag  of  truce  brought 
in  a  complimentary  letter  from  the  Due  de  Crillon  to  the 
governor,  informing  him  of  the  arrival  of  the  Comte  D'Artois 
and  the  Due  de  Bourbon  in  his  camp,  and  sending  him  a 
present  of  ice,  fruit,  partridges,  and  other  delicacies.  The 
governor  returned  a  letter  in  similar  complimentary  terms, 
thanking  the  Duke  for  his  letter  and  the  presents,  but  de- 
clining with  thanks  the  supplies  that  had  been  offered,  say- 
ing that  he  never  received  for  himself  anything  beyond  what 
was  common  to  the  garrison. 

The  sailors  of  the  ships-of-war  now  pitched  tents  ashore 
for  their  use  when  they  should  be  ordered  to  land  to  take 
part  in  the  defence,  and  the  heavy  guns  were  for  the  most 
part  moved  down  from  the  upper  batteries  to  the  sea  lines. 

Day  after  day  passed,  the  bombardment  being  constantly 
expected,  but  the  damage  inflicted  by  fire  on  the  enemy's 
works  by  our  carcasses  delayed  the  attack.  On  the  8th  of 
September  a  tremendous  fire  was  suddenly  opened  with  red- 
hot  shot  and  carcasses  upon  the  enemy's  works.  The  Mahon 
Battery  was  burned,  while  the  San  Carlos  and  San  Marten 
Batteries  so  damaged  that  they  had  almost  to  be  rebuilt. 
The  enemy,  as  on  previous  occasions,  showed  extreme  bra- 


THE    FLOATING    BATTERIES.  337 

very  in  their  efforts  to  extinguish  the  fire  and  to  repair 
damages,  and  it  was  afterwards  known  that  the  French 
troops  alone  had  a  hundred  and  forty  killed  and  wounded. 
The  damage  done  probably  convinced  the  Due  de  Crillon 
that  no  advantage  could  be  hoped  for  by  trying  further  to 
increase  his  works,  and  at  half-past  five  next  morning  a 
volley  of  sixty  shells  was  fired  by  their  mortar  batteries, 
followed  by  the  discharge  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  pieces 
of  heavy  artillery. 

This  tremendous  fire  was  kept  up  for  some  time,  while 
nine  line-of -battle  ships,  supported  by  fifteen  gun  and  mor- 
tar boats,  passed  to  and  fro  along  the  seaface,  pouring  in 
their  fire  upon  us.  At  nightfall  the  enemy's  guns  ceased 
firing,  but  their  mortars  kept  up  their  shell  fire  all  night. 
The  next  day  the  ships-of-war  renewed  their  attack,  as  did 
the  land  batteries.  In  the  course  of  the  day  the  Brilliant 
and  Porcupine  frigates  were  scuttled  by  the  navy,  alongside 
the  New  Mole,  and  their  crews  landed.  On  the  following 
day  the  enemy's  fire  was  principally  directed  against  the 
barrier  and  chevaux  de  /rise  in  front  of  the  land  port,  and 
in  the  afternoon  these  barriers  and  palisades  were  all  in 
flames,  and  the  troops  at  that  end  of  the  Rock  got  under 
arms  in  case  an  attack  should  be  made. 

On  the  morning  of  the  12th  the  combined  fleets  of 
France  and  Spain,  consisting  of  thirty-eight  men-of-war, 
three  frigates,  and  a  number  of  smaller  craft,  sailed  into  the 
bay  and  anchored  near  Algeciras.  Their  fleet  now  consisted 
of  forty-seven  men-of-war,  ten  battering-ships — considered 
invincible,  and  carrying  two  hundred  and  twelve  guns — and 
innumerable  frigates  and  small  ships-of-war;  while  on  the 
land  side  were  batteries  mounting  two  hundred  heavy  guns, 
and  an  army  of  forty  thousand  men.  Tremendous  odds, 
indeed,  against  a  fortress  whose  garrison  consisted  of  seven 
thousand  effective  men,  including  the  Marine  Brigade. 

For  some  days  past  Bob  had  been  engaged  with  their 
landlord  and  some  hired  labourers  in  bringing  in  earth  and 


338  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

filling  up  the  lower  rooms  four  feet  deep,  in  order  to  render 
the  cellars  bomb-proof.  Some  beds  and  furniture  were  taken 
below,  so  that  Carrie,  the  servants,  and  the  Spanish  family 
could  retire  there  in  case  the  enemy's  shells  fell  thickly 
round  the  house. 

It  was  noticed  as  a  curious  incident,  that  just  as  the  com- 
bined fleet  entered  the  bay,  an  eagle,  after  circling  round  it, 
perched  for  a  few  minutes  upon  the  summit  of  the  flag-post 
on  the  highest  point  of  the  Rock,  an  omen  of  victory  which 
would  have  been  considered  decisive  by  the  Romans,  and 
which  did,  in  fact,  help  to  raise  the  spirits  and  confidence  of 
the  garrison. 

On  the  morning  of  the  13th  the  enemy's  battering- 
ships  got  under  way,  with  a  gentle  breeze  from  the  north- 
west, and  at  a  little  past  nine  o'clock  anchored  in  admirable 
order  in  line  of  the  saaface.  The  nearest  was  about  nine 
hundred  yards  from  the  King's  Bastion,  the  most  distant 
being  about  eleven  hundred  yards.  Not  a  shot  was  fired 
before  the  enemy  anchored,  and  then  the  whole  of  the  bat- 
teries that  commanded  them  opened  fire,  to  which  the  bat- 
tering-ships and  the  artillery  in  their  lines  at  once  replied. 

Bob  was  standing  on  the  roof  of  the  house  with  his  sister. 

"  What  a  magnificent  sight,  Carrie  !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  It 
is  well  worth  all  the  waiting  to  be  here  to  see  it." 

"  It  is  terrible  !  "  Carrie  said.  "  It  is  like  one  great  roar 
of  thunder.  How  awfully  the  men  must  be  suffering  in  the 
batteries!  " 

"  I  don't  suppose  it  is  as  bad  as  it  looks,"  Bob  said.  "At 
any  rate  you  needn't  be  uneasy  about  Gerald.  All  the 
troops  except  those  working  the  guns  are  in  shelter,  and 
won't  be  called  out  unless  the  enemy  attempt  to  land.  I 
wonder  their  fleet  don't  come  across  to  help  their  batteries. 
I  suppose  they  are  afraid  of  the  carcasses  and  red-hot  shot. 
Well,  there  is  one  comfort,  Carrie :  none  of  their  shot  are 
coming  this  way.  Their  floating  batteries,  evidently,  are 
firing  only  at  our  batteries  by  the  water.     As  to  the  others, 


THE    FLOATING    BATTERIES.  339 

we  know  that  we  are  safe  enough  from  them,  though  cer- 
tainly the  shot  do  make  a  most  unpleasant  noise  as  they 
fly  overhead.  I  wish  there  was  a  little  more  wind  to  blow 
away  the  smoke  so  that  we  could  see  what  effect  our  fire 
is  having  on  those  hulks.  I  shouldn't  think  that  we  had 
begun  with  red-hot  shot  yet.  It  takes  three  hours  to  get 
them  hot  enough.  As  far  as  I  can  see,  whenever  the  wind 
blows  the  smoke  away  a  little,  our  shot  and  shell  roll  off  the 
roofs  and  sides  without  doing  any  damage  to  speak  of." 

About  noon  the  enemy's  mortar-boats  and  ketches  at- 
tempted to  come  across  and  assist  their  battering-ships,  but 
the  wind  had  changed  and  had  worked  round  to  the  south- 
west, blowing  a  smart  breeze  and  bringing  in  a  heavy  swell, 
so  that  they  were  prevented  from  taking  part  in  the  action. 
Our  own  gun-boats  were  hindered  by  the  same  cause  from 
putting  out  and  opening  a  flanking  fire  upon  the  battering- 
ships.  The  northern  batteries  by  the  water  suffered  heavily 
from  the  fire  of  the  Spanish  lines,  which  took  them  in  flank, 
and,  indeed,  some  of  the  batteries  in  reverse,  causing  many 
casualties.  The  Artillery,  however,  refused  to  let  their  at- 
tention be  diverted  from  the  battering-ships. 

By  two  o'clock  the  furnaces  had  heated  the  shot  in  all  the 
batteries,  and  although  some  of  them  had  been  firing  these 
missiles  for  upwards  of  an  hour,  it  was  not  until  two  that 
their  use  became  general.  Soon  afterwards,  when  the  wind 
cleared  away  the  smoke  from  the  ships,  men  could  be  seen 
on  their  sloping  roofs  directing  streams  of  water  from  the 
pumps  upon  small  wreaths  of  smoke  that  curled  up  here  and 
there.  Up  to  this  time  the  defenders  had  begun  to  fear  that 
the  craft  were  indeed  as  invulnerable  as  the  Spaniards  be- 
lieved them  to  be;  but  these  evidences  that  the  red-hot  shot 
were  doing  their  work  greatly  roused  their  spirits,  and 
cheers  frequently  rose  as  the  men  toiled  at  their  heavy  guns. 

As  the  afternoon  went  on  the  smoke  from  the  upper  part 
of  the  Spanish  admiral's  flag-ship  rose  more  and  more 
thickly,  and  although  numbers  of  men  continued  to  bring 


340  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

up  and  throw  water  over  the  roof,  working  with  extraordinary 
bravery  in  spite  of  the  hail  of  projectiles  poured  upon  them, 
it  was  clear  that  the  fire  was  making  steady  progress.  Bob 
had  long  before  this  gone  down  to  the  works  by  the  seaface, 
where  considerable  bodies  of  troops  were  lying  in  the  bomb- 
proof casemates  in  readiness  for  action  if  called  upon,  and 
from  time  to  time  he  went  out  with  Captain  O'Halloran  and 
other  officers  to  see  how  matters  were  going  on. 

In  sheltered  places  behind  the  batteries  some  of  the  sur- 
geons were  at  work,  temporarily  binding  up  the  wounds  of 
artillerymen  struck  with  shell  or  splinters,  after  which  they 
were  carried  by  stretcher-parties  of  the  infantry  up  to  the 
hospitals.  Dr.  Burke  was  thus  engaged  in  the  battery  where 
his  regiment  was  stationed.  He  had,  since  the  first  bom- 
bardment commenced,  ceased  to  complain  of  the  want  of 
opportunities  for  exercising  himself  in  his  professional 
work,  and  had  been  indefatigable  in  his  attendance  on  the 
wounded.  Among  them  he  was  an  immense  favourite.  He 
had  a  word  and  a  joke  for  every  man  who  came  under  his 
hands,  while  his  confident  manner  and  cheery  talk  kept  up 
the  spirits  of  the  men.  He  was,  too,  a  very  skilful  operator, 
and  many  of  the  poor  fellows  in  hospital  had  urgently  re- 
quested that  if  they  must  lose  a  limb  it  should  be  under 
the  hands  of  Dr.  Burke. 

"  It  is  much  better  to  make  men  laugh  than  to  make 
them  cry,"  he  would  say  to  Bob.  "It  is  half  the  battle 
gained  when  you  can  keep  up  a  patient's  spirit.  It  is  won- 
derful how  some  of  them  stand  pain.  The  hard  work  they 
have  been  doing  is  all  in  their  favour." 

Bob  several  times  went  out  to  him  and  assisted  him  as  far 
as  he  could  by  handing  him  bandages,  sponges,  &c. 

"You  ought  to  have  been  an  assistant  from  the  beginning, 
Bob,"  he  said.  "  By  this  time  you  would  have  been  quite  a 
decent  surgeon;  only  you  have  a  silly  way  of  turning  pale. 
There,  hand  me  that  bandage.  All  right,  my  man;  we  will 
have  you  patched  up  in  no  time.     No,  I  don't  think  you 


THE    FLOATING    BATTERIES.  341 

can  go  back  to  your  gun  again.  You  will  have  to  eat  and 
drink  a  bit  and  make  fresh  blood  before  you  will  be  much 
use  at  a  thirty-two  pounder  again.  What  is  this — a  scalp 
wound?  Splinter  of  a  shell,  eh?  Well,  it  is  lucky  for 
you,  lad,  that  you  have  been  hardening  your  skull  a  bit 
before  you  enlisted.  A  few  clips  from  a  blackthorn  are 
capital  preparation.  I  don't  think  you  will  come  to  much 
harm.  You  are  not  more  hurt  than  you  would  be  in  a  good 
lively  faction  fight.  There,  you  had  better  put  down  that 
sponge,  Bob,  and  go  into  the  casemate  for  a  bit;  you  are  get- 
ting white  again.  I  think  we  are  over  the  worst  now;  for 
if,  as  you  tell  me,  the  smoke  is  beginning  to  come  up  from 
some  of  those  floating  batteries  their  fire  will  soon  slacken 
a  bit.  As  long  as  they  keep  out  the  shot  those  defences  of 
theirs  are  first-rate;  but  as  soon  as  the  shot  begin  to  embed 
themselves  in  the  roof  they  are  worse  than  nothing,  for  they 
can  neither  dig  out  the  shot  nor  get  at  them  with  the  water. 
Once  establish  a  fire  and  it  is  pretty  sure  to  spread." 

Bob  was  glad  to  get  back  again  into  the  bomb-proof  case- 
mates; for  there  was  comparative  quiet,  while  outside  the 
constant  roar  of  the  guns,  the  howl  of  shot,  the  explosion  of 
shell,  and  the  crash  of  masonry  created  a  din  that  was  almost 
bewildering.  Presently  a  cheer  was  heard  in  the  battery, 
and  Bob  went  out  to  see  what  it  was,  and  returned  with 
the  news  that  the  ship  next  to  the  Spanish  admiral's  was  also 
smoking  in  several  places.  As  the  afternoon  went  on  con- 
fusion was  apparent  on  board  several  of  the  battering-ships, 
and  by  evening  their  fire  had  slackened  considerably. 
Before  eight  o'-clock  it  had  almost  entirely  ceased  except 
from  one  or  two  ships  to  the  northward  of  the  line,  which 
being  somewhat  farther  from  the  shore  had  suffered  less 
than  the  others.  At  sunset  the  Artillery  in  our  batteries 
were  relieved,  the  Naval  Brigade  taking  their  place,  and  the 
fire  was  continued  without  relaxation. 

As  soon  as  it  became  dark  rockets  were  fired  by  several  of 
the  battering-ships;    these  were  answered  by  the  Spanish 


342  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

men-of-war,  and  many  boats  rowed  across  to  the  floating 
batteries.  By  ten  o'clock  the  flames  began  to  burst  out 
from  the  admiral's  battering-ship,  and  by  midnight  she  was 
completely  in  flames.  The  light  assisted  our  gunners,  who 
were  able  to  lay  their  cannon  with  as  much  accuracy  as  during 
the  daytime,  and  the  whole  Rock  was  illuminated  by  the 
flames.  These  presently  burst  out  vigorously  from  the  next 
ship,  and  between  three  and  four  o'clock  points  of  light  ap- 
peared upon  six  of  the  other  hulks. 

At  three  o'clock  Brigadier  Curtis,  who  commanded  the 
Naval  Brigade  encamped  at  Europa  Boint,  finding  that  the 
sea  had  gone  down,  manned  the  gun-boats,  and  rowing  out 
for  some  distance  opened  a  heavy  flanking  fire  upon  the 
battering-ships,  compelling  the  boats  that  were  lying  in 
shelter  behind  them  to  retire.  As  the  day  broke  he  cap- 
tured two  of  the  enemy's  launches,  and  finding  from  the 
prisoners  that  there  were  still  numbers  of  men  on  board  the 
hulks,  rowed  out  to  rescue  them.  While  he  was  employed 
at  this  work  at  five  o'clock  one  of  the  battering-ships  to  the 
northward  blew  up  with  a  tremendous  explosion,  and  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  later  another  in  the  centre  of  the  line 
also  blew  up.  The  wreck  was  scattered  over  a  wide  extent 
of  water.  One  of  the  gun-boats  was  sunk  and  another  seri- 
ously injured,  and  the  Brigadier,  fearing  other  explosions, 
ordered  the  boats  to  draw  off  towards  the  town. 

On  the  way,  however,  he  visited  two  of  the  other  burn- 
ing ships,  and  rescued  some  more  of  those  left  behind — 
landing  in  all  nine  officers,  two  priests,  and  three  hundred 
and  thirty-four  soldiers  and  seamen.  Besides  these  one 
officer  and  eleven  Frenchmen  had  floated  ashore  the  even- 
ing before  on  the  shattered  fragments  of  a  launch.  While 
the  boats  in  the  navy  were  thus  endeavouring  to  save  their 
foes,  the  land  batteries,  which  had  ceased  firing  on  the  pre- 
vious evening,  again  opened  on  the  garrison;  but  as  from 
some  of  the  camps  the  boats  could  be  perceived  at  their 
humane  work,  orders  were  despatched  to  the  batteries  to 


THE    FLOATING    BATTERIES.  343 

cease  fire,  and  a  dead  silence  succeeded  the  din  that  had 
gone  on  for  nearly  twenty-four  hours. 

Of  the  six  battering-ships  still  in  flames,  three  blew  up 
before  eleven  o'clock.  The  other  three  burned  to  the  water' s- 
edge,  the  magazines  having  been  drowned  by  the  Spaniards 
before  they  left  the  ships  in  their  boats.  The  garrison  hoped 
that  the  two  remaining  battering-ships  might  be  saved  to  be 
sent  home  as  trophies  of  the  victory,  but  about  noon  one  of 
them  suddenly  burst  into  flames  and  presently  blew  up. 
The  other  was  examined  by  the  men-of-war  boats,  and  found 
to  be  so  injured  that  she  could  not  be  saved.  She  was 
accordingly  set  fire  to  and  also  destroyed.  Thus  the  whole 
of  the  ten  vessels  that  were  considered  by  their  constructors 
to  be  invincible  were  destroyed. 

The  loss  of  the  enemy  in  killed  and  prisoners  was  esti- 
mated at  two  thousand,  while  the  casualties  of  the  garrison 
were  astonishingly  small,  consisting  only  of  one  officer  and 
fifteen  non-commissioned  officers  and  men  killed,  and  five 
officers  and  sixty-three  men  wounded.  Very  little  damage 
was  done  to  the  works.  It  is  supposed  that  the  smoke 
enveloping  the  vessels  prevented  accurate  aim.  The  chief 
object  of  the  attack  was  to  silence  the  King's  Bastion,  and 
upon  this  two  of  the  largest  ships  concentrated  their  fire, 
while  the  rest  endeavoured  to  effect  a  breach  in  the  wall 
between  that  battery  and  the  battery  next  to  it. 

The  enemy  had  three  hundred  heavy  cannon  engaged, 
while  the  garrison  had  a  hundred  and  six  cannon  and  mor- 
tars. The  distance  at  which  the  batteries  were  moored  from 
the  shore  was  greatly  in  favour  of  the  efforts  of  our  artillery, 
as  the  range  was  almost  point  blank,  and  the  guns  did  not 
require  to  be  elevated.  Thus  the  necessity  for  using  two 
wads  between  the  powder  and  the  red-hot  balls  was  obviated, 
and  the  gunners  were  able  to  fire  much  more  rapidly  than 
they  would  otherwise  have  done.  The  number  of  the  Spanish 
soldiers  on  board  the  battery-ships  was  5260,  in  addition  to 
the  sailors  required  to  work  the  ships. 


344  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

Great  activity  was  manifested  by  the  Spaniards  on  the 
day  following  the  failure  of  their  bombardment,  and  large 
numbers  of  men  were  employed  in  bringing  up  fresh  ammu- 
nition to  their  batteries.  Many  of  the  men-of-war  also  got 
under  way.  Major  Harcourt,  Doctor  Burke,  and  two  or 
three  other  officers  stood  watching  the  movements  from  the 
O'Hallorans'  terrace. 

"I  should  have  thought  that  they  had  had  enough  of  it," 
Doctor  Burke  said.  "  If  those  battering-ships  couldn't  with- 
stand our  fire,  what  chance  would  their  men-of-war  have? 
See  !  they  are  just  as  busy  on  the  land  side,  and  the  7  ist  has 
been  ordered  to  send  down  extra  guards  to  the  land-port. 
I  should  have  thought  they  had  given  it  up  as  a  bad  job  this 
time." 

"I  have  no  doubt  they  have  given  it  up,  doctor,"  Major 
Harcourt  said;  "but  they  are  not  likely  to  say  so  just  yet. 
After  all  the  preparations  that  have  been  made,  and  the  cer- 
tainty expressed  about  our  capture  by  the  allied  armies  and 
navies  of  France  and  Spain,  and  having  two  or  three  royal 
princes  down  here  to  grace  the  victory,  you  don't  suppose 
they  are  going  to  acknowledge  to  the  world  that  they  are 
beaten.  I  should  have  thought  you  would  have  known 
human  nature  better  than  that,  doctor.  You  will  see  De 
Crillon  will  send  a  pompous  report  of  the  affair,  saying  that 
the  battering-ships  were  found,  owing  to  faults  in  their  con- 
struction, to  be  of  far  less  utility  than  had  been  expected, 
and  that  therefore  they  had  been  burned.  They  had,  how- 
ever, inflicted  enormous  loss  upon  the  garrison  and  defences, 
and  the  siege  would  now  be  taken  up  by  the  army  and  fleet, 
and  vigorously  pushed  to  a  successful  termination. 

"That  will  be  the  sort  of  thing,  I  would  bet  a  month's 
pay.  The  last  thing  a  Spanish  commander  will  confess  is 
that  he  is  beaten,  and  I  think  it  likely  enough  that  they 
will  carry  on  the  siege  for  months  yet,  so  as  to  keep  up 
appearances.  In  fact,  committed  as  they  are  to  it,  I  don't 
see  how  they  can  give  it  up  without  making  themselves  the 


THE    FLOATING    BATTERIES.  345 

laughing-stock  of  Europe.  But  now  that  they  find  they 
have  no  chance  of  getting  the  object  for  which  they  went 
to  war,  I  fancy  you  will  see  before  very  long  they  will  begin 
to  negotiate  for  peace." 

The  major's  anticipations  were  verified.  For  some  time 
the  siege  was  carried  on  with  considerable  vigour — from  a 
thousand  to  twelve  hundred  shots  being  fired  daily  into  the 
fortress.  Their  works  on  the  neutral  ground  were  pushed 
forward,  and  an  attempt  was  made  at  night  to  blow  out  a 
portion  of  the  face  of  the  Rock  by  placing  powder  in  a  cave, 
but  the  attempt  was  detected. 

The  position  of  the  garrison  became  more  comfortable 
after  a  British  fleet  arrived  with  two  more  regiments  and  a 
large  convoy  of  merchantmen;  but  nothing  of  any  impor- 
tance took  place  till,  on  the  2d  of  February,  1782,  the  Due 
de  Crillon  sent  in  to  say  that  the  preliminaries  of  a  general 
peace  had  been  signed  by  Great  Britain,  France,  and  Spain, 
and  three  days  later  the  blockade  at  sea  was  discontinued, 
and  the  port  of  Gibraltar  again  open. 

Bob  Repton,  however,  was  not  present  at  the  concluding 
scenes  of  the  great  drama.  Satisfied  after  the  failure  of  the 
bombardment  that  there  would  be  no  more  serious  fighting, 
and  that  the  interest  of  the  siege  was  at  an  end,  he  took 
advantage  of  the  arrival  of  the  Anfclofe  in  the  bay  a  few 
days  after  the  engagement  to  return  in  her  to  England.  He 
had  now  been  two  years  and  eight  months  on  the  Rock,  and 
felt  that  he  ought  to  go  home  to  take  his  place  with  his 
uncle.  He  had  benefited  greatly  by  his  stay  in  Gibraltar. 
He  had  acquired  the  Spanish  language  thoroughly,  and  in 
other  respects  had  carried  on  his  studies  under  the  direction 
of  Doctor  Burke,  and  had  employed  much  of  his  leisure 
time  with  instructive  reading. 

Mixing  so  much  with  the  officers  of  the  garrison  he  had 
acquired  a  good  manner  and  address.  He  had  been  pre- 
sent at  the  most  memorable  siege  of  the  times,  and  had 
gained  the  credit  of  having,  though  but  a  volunteer,  his  name 


346  HELD   FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

twice  placed  in  general  orders  for  good  services.  He  had 
landed  a  school-boy,  he  was  now  a  well-built  young  fellow  of 
medium  height  and  powerful  frame;  but  he  had  retained  his 
boyish,  frank  good  humour,  and  his  love  of  fun. 

"I  trust  that  we  shall  be  back  in  England  before  long," 
his  sister  said  to  him.  "  Everyone  expects  that  Spain  will 
make  peace  before  many  months  are  over,  and  it  is  likely 
that  the  regiments  who  have  gone  through  the  hardships  of 
the  siege  will  soon  be  relieved,  so  I  hope  that  in  a  year  or 
two  we  may  be  ordered  home  again." 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  regret  expressed  when  it  was 
known  that  Bob  Repton  was  going  home,  for  he  had  always 
been  ready  to  do  any  acts  of  kindness  in  his  power,  espe- 
cially to  children,  of  whom  he  was  very  fond,  and  it  was  not 
forgotten  that  his  daring  enterprise  in  going  out  alone  to 
fetch  in  fruit  had  saved  many  of  their  lives.  Amy  Harcourt's 
eyes  were  very  red  when  he  went  up  to  say  good-bye  to  her 
and  her  mother  an  hour  before  he  sailed,  and  the  farewells 
were  spoken  with  quivering  lips. 

The  Antelope  evaded  the  enemy's  cruisers  near  the  Rock, 
and  made  a  quick  passage  to  England  without  adventure. 
She  had  made  two  or  three  good  prizes  up  the  Spanish 
coast  before  she  put  into  Gibraltar  on  her  way  home. 
Captain  Lockett  therefore  did  not  go  out  of  his  way  to  look 
for  more.  On  arriving  at  Portsmouth  Bob  at  once  went  up 
to  London  by  coach.  He  had  no  lack  of  clothes,  having 
purchased  the  effects  of  an  officer  of  nearly  his  own  build 
and  stature  who  had  been  killed  a  short  time  before.  On 
alighting  from  the  coach  he  walked  to  Philpot  Lane,  and 
went  straight  into  the  counting-house.  His  old  acquaint- 
ance, Jack  Medlin,  was  sitting  on  the  stool  his  father  had 
formerly  occupied,  and  Bob  was  greatly  amused  at  the  air 
of  gravity  on  his  face. 

"Do  you  wish  to  see  Mr.  Bale  or  Mr.  Medlin,  sir?"  he 
asked,  "or  can  I  take  your  orders?  " 

"You  are  a  capital  imitator  of  your  father,  Jack,"  Bob 


THE    FLOATING    BATTERIES.  d4( 

said,  as  he  brought  his  hand  down  heavily  on  the  shoulder 
of  the  young  clerk,  who  stared  at  him  in  astonishment. 

"Why,  it  is  Bob — I  mean  Mr.  Repton !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"It's  Bob  Repton,  Jack,  sure  enough,  and  glad  I  am  to 
see  you.  Why,  it  is  nearly  three  years  since  we  met,  and 
we  have  both  altered  a  good  bit  since  then.  Well,  is  my 
uncle  in?  " 

"No,  he  is  out  at  present,  but  my  father  is  in  the  inner 
office." 

Bob  strode  into  the  inner  office,  and  greeted  Mr.  Medlin 
as  heartily  as  he  had  done  his  son,  and  Mr.  Medlin,  for  the 
first  time  since  he  had  entered  Philpot  Lane  as  a  boy, 
forgot  that  he  was  within  the  sacred  precincts  of  the  city, 
and  for  at  least  ten  minutes  laughed  and  talked  as  freely 
and  unrestrainedly  as  if  he  had  been  out  at  Highgate. 

"Your  uncle  will  be  delighted  to  see  you  back,"  he  said. 
"He  is  for  ever  talking  about  you,  and  there  wasn't  a 
prouder  man  in  the  city  of  London  than  he  was  when  the 
despatches  were  published  and  your  name  appeared  twice 
as  having  rendered  great  service.  He  became  a  little  afraid 
at  one  time  that  you  might  take  to  soldiering  altogether. 
But  I  told  him  that  I  thought  there  was  no  fear  of  that. 
After  you  had  once  refused  to  take  a  midshipman's  berth, 
with  its  prospect  of  getting  away  from  school,  I  did  not  think 
it  likely  that  you  would  be  tempted  now." 

"  No;  the  General  told  Captain  O'Halloran  that  he  would 
get  me  a  commission  if  I  liked,  but  I  had  not  the  least 
ambition  that  way.  I  have  had  a  fine  opportunity  of  see- 
ing war,  and  have  had  a  jolly  time  of  it,  and  now  I  am  quite 
ready  to  settle  down  here." 

Mr.  Bale  was  delighted  on  his  return  to  find  Bob.  It  was 
just  the  hour  for  closing,  and  he  insisted  upon  Mr.  Medlin 
stopping  to  take  supper  with  him.  Bob  had  written  when- 
ever there  was  an  opportunity  of  sending  letters;  but  many 
of  these  had  never  come  to  hand,  and  there  was  much  to  tell 
and  talk  about. 


348  HELD    FAST   FOR   ENGLAND. 

"Well,  I  am  thoroughly  satisfied  with  the  success  of  our 
experiment,  Mr.  Medlin,"  Mr.  Bale  said  next  day.  "Bob 
has  turned  out  exactly  what  I  hoped  he  would — a  fine  young 
fellow  and  a  gentleman.  He  has  excellent  manners,  and  yet 
there  is  nothing  foppish  or  affected  about  him." 

"  I  had  no  fear  of  that  with  Bob,  Mr.  Bale;  and,  indeed, 
Gibraltar  during  the  siege  must  have  been  a  bad  school  for 
anyone  to  learn  that  sort  of  thing.  Military  men  may  amuse 
themselves  with  follies  of  that  kind  when  they  have  nothing 
better  to  do ;  but  it  is  thrown  aside  and  their  best  qualities 
come  out  when  they  have  such  work  to  do  as  they  have  had 
there.  Yes,  I  agree  with  you,  sir.  The  experiment  has 
turned  out  capitally,  and  your  nephew  is  in  every  respect 
a  far  better  man  than  he  would  have  been  if  he  had  been 
kept  mewed  up  here  these  three  years.  He  is  a  young  fellow 
that  anyone — I  don't  care  who  he  is — might  feel  proud  of." 

So  Bob  took  up  his  duties  in  the  office,  and  his  only  com- 
plaint there  was,  that  he  could  hardly  find  enough  to  do. 
Mr.  Bale  had  relaxed  his  close  attention  to  the  business  since 
he  had  taken  Mr.  Medlin  into  the  firm,  but  as  that  gentleman 
was  perfectly  capable  of  carrying  it  on  single-handed,  Bob's 
share  of  it  was  easy  enough.  It  was  not  long  before  he  com- 
plained to  his  uncle  that  he  really  did  not  find  enough  to 
do. 

"Well,  Bob,  you  shall  come  down  with  me  to  a  place  I 
have  bought  out  by  Chislehurst;  it  is  a  tidy  little  estate. 
I  bought  it  a  year  ago.  It  is  a  nice  distance  from  town; 
just  a  pleasant  ride  or  drive  up;  I  am  thinking  of  moving 
my  establishment  down  there  altogether,  and  as  you  will 
have  it  some  day,  I  should  like  your  opinion  of  it.  It  isn't 
quite  ready  yet.  I  have  been  having  it  thoroughly  done  up, 
but  the  men  will  be  out  in  a  week  or  two." 

Bob  was  greatly  pleased  with  the  house,  which  was  a  fine 
one,  and  very  pleasantly  situated  in  large  grounds. 

"There  are  seventy  or  eighty  acres  of  land,"  Mr.  Bale 
said.      "They  are  let  to  a  farmer  at  present.     He  only  has 


THE    FLOATING    BATTERIES.  349 

them  by  the  year,  and  I  think  it  will  be  an  amusement  to 
you  to  take  them  in  hand  and  look  after  them  yourself.  I 
know  a  good  many  people  living  about  here,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  we  shall  have  quite  as  much  society  as  we  care  for." 

Another  month  and  they  were  established  at  Chislehurst, 
and  Bob  found  the  life  there  very  pleasant.  He  generally 
drove  his  uncle  up  to  town  in  the  morning,  getting  to  the 
office  at  ten  o'clock  and  leaving  it  at  five  in  the  afternoon. 
On  his  return  home  there  was  the  garden  to  see  about  and 
the  stables.  Very  often  his  uncle  brought  a  city  friend  or 
two  home  with  him  for  the  night,  and  they  soon  had  a  large 
circle  of  acquaintances  in  the  neighbourhood. 

"  I  should  like  you  to  marry  young,  Bob,"  Mr.  Bale  said 
to  him  one  day.  "  I  did  not  marry  young,  and  so  you  see 
I  have  never  married  at  all,  and  have  wasted  my  life  shock- 
ingly in  consequence.  When  you  are  ready  to  marry  I  am 
ready  to  give  you  the  means.     Don't  forget  that." 

"  I  won't  forget  it,  sir,"  Bob  said  smiling;  "  and  I  will  try 
to  meet  your  wishes." 

Mr.  Bale  looked  at  him  sharply.  Carrie's  letters  were 
long  and  chatty,  and  it  may  be  that  Mr.  Bale  had  gleaned 
from  them  some  notion  of  an  idea  that  Carrie  and  Mrs. 
Harcourt  had  in  their  heads. 

Three  years  later  Mr.  Bale  remarked,  as  they  were  driving 
home  :  "  By  the  way,  Bob,  I  was  glad  to  see  in  the  paper 
to-day  that  the  58th  is  ordered  home." 

"  Is  it,  sir  ?  "  Bob  asked  eagerly.  "  I  have  not  looked  at  the 
paper  to-day.  I  am  glad  to  hear  that.  I  thought  it  wouldn't 
be  long.  But  there  is  never  any  saying,  they  might  have 
been  sent  somewhere  else  instead  of  being  sent  home." 

"  I  hope  they  will  be  quartered  somewhere  within  reach," 
Mr.  Bale  said.  "  If  they  are  stationed  at  Cork,  or  some  out- 
landish place  in  Ireland,  they  might  almost  as  well  be  at 
Gibraltar  for  anything  we  shall  see  of  them." 

"  Oh,  we  can  manage  to  run  over  to  Cork,  uncle." 

"There   will  be  no  occasion  to  do  that,  Bob.     Captain 


350  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

O'Halloran  will  be  getting  leave  soon  after  he  comes  over, 
and  then  he  can  bring  Carrie  here."  And  he  smiled  slily 
to  himself. 

"  He  mayn't  be  able  to  get  leave  for  some  time,"  Bob  said. 
"  I  think,  uncle,  I  shall  run  over  directly  they  arrive." 

"  Perhaps  the  firm  won't  be  able  to  spare  you,"  Mr.  Bale 
remarked. 

"  It  is  my  opinion  the  firm  would  get  on  just  as  well  with- 
out me  for  an  indefinite  time,  uncle." 

"  Not  at  all,  Bob.  Mr.  Medlin  was  saying  only  a  few 
days  ago  that  you  do  quite  your  share  of  the  work,  and  that 
he  generally  leaves  it  to  you  now  to  see  country  customers 
when  I  am  out,  and  thinks  the  change  has  been  an  advan- 
tage to  the  business.  However,  if  the  regiment  does  go  to 
Ireland,  as  is  likely  enough,  I  suppose  we  must  manage  to 
spare  you." 

It  was  indeed  soon  known  that  the  58th  were  in  the  first 
place  to  be  disembarked  at  Cork,  and  one  day  Mr.  Bale 
came  into  the  office.  "  I  have  just  seen  your  friend  Lockett, 
Bob  ;  I  mean  the  younger  one.  He  commands  the  Antelope 
now,  you  know.  His  uncle  has  retired  and  bought  a  place 
near  Southampton,  and  settled  down  there.  Young  Lockett 
came  up  from  Portsmouth  by  the  night  coach.  He  put  in 
at  Gibraltar  on  his  way  home,  and  the  58th  were  to  embark 
three  days  after  he  left.  So  if  you  want  to  meet  them 
when  they  arrive  at  Cork  you  had  better  lose  no  time,  but 
start  by  the  night  coach  for  Bristol,  and  cross  in  the  packet 
from  there." 

It  was  a  month  before  Bob  returned.  The  evening  that 
he  did  so  he  said  to  his  uncle  :  "  I  think,  uncle,  you  said  that 
you  were  anxious  that  I  should  marry  young." 

"  That  is  so,  Bob,"  Mr.  Bale  said  gravely. 

"  Well,  uncle,  I  have  been  doing  my  best  to  carry  out 
your  wishes." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say,  Bob,"  Mr.  Bale  said  in  affected 
alarm,  "  that  you  are  going  to  marry  a  soldier's  daughter?" 


THE    FLOATING    BATTERIES.  351 

"  Well — yes,  sir,"  Bob  said  a  little  taken  aback ;  "  but  I 
don't  know  how  you  guessed  it.  It  is  a  young  lady  I  knew 
in  Gibraltar." 

"  What,  Bob  !  Not  that  girl  who  went  running  about 
with  you  dressed  up  as  a  boy?" 

As  this  was  a  portion  of  his  adventures  upon  which  Bob 
had  been  altogether  reticent,  he  sat  for  a  moment  con- 
founded. 

"  Don't  be  ashamed  of  it,  Bob,"  Mr.  Bale  said  with  a  smile, 
laying  his  hand  kindly  on  his  shoulder.  "  Your  sister  Carrie 
is  an  excellent  young  woman,  and  it  is  not  difficult  to  read 
her  thoughts  in  her  letters.  Of  course  she  told  me  about 
your  adventure  with  Miss  Harcourt,  and  she  has  mentioned 
her  a  good  many  times  since  ;  and  it  did  not  need  a  great 
deal  of  discernment  to  see  what  Carrie's  opinion  was  re- 
garding the  young  lady.  Carrie  has  her  weak  points — as, 
for  example,  when  she  took  up  with  that  wild  Irishman — 
but  she  has  plenty  of  good  sense,  and  I  am  sure  by  the  way 
she  wrote  about  this  Miss  Harcourt  that  she  must  be  a  very 
charming  girl ;  and  I  think,  Bob,  I  have  been  looking  for- 
ward almost  as  much  to  the  regiment  coming  home  as  you 
have.  Regarding  you  as  I  do,  as  my  son,  there  is  nothing  I 
should  like  so  much  as  having  a  bright,  pretty  daughter- 
in-law  ;  so  you  have  my  hearty  consent  and  approval,  even 
before  you  ask  for  it.  And  you  found  her  very  nice,  Bob 
—eh?" 

"  Very  nice,  sir,"  Bob  said  smiling. 

"And  very  pretty,  Bob?" 

"Very  pretty,  sir.  I  never  thought  that  she  would  have 
grown  up  so  pretty." 

"  And  her  head  has  not  been  turned  by  the  compliments 
that  she  has  of  course  received?  " 

"  I  don't  think  so,  sir.  She  said  her  mind  has  been  made 
up  ever  since  I  brought  her  back  to  Gibraltar ;  so,  you  see, 
the  compliments  did  not  go  for  much." 


352  HELD    FAST    FOR    ENGLAND. 

"Well,  Bob,  I  will  write  to  Major  Harcourt.  I  shall 
hand  you  over  this  place  altogether  and  settle  down  in  my 
old  quarters  in  Philpot  Lane." 

"  No,  no,  sir,"  Bob  said. 

"  But  I  say  yes,  Bob.  I  shajl  keep  a  room  here,  and  I 
dare  say  I  shall  often  use  it.  But  I  have  been  rather  like  a 
fish  out  of  water  since  I  came  here,  and  shall  be  well  content 
to  fall  into  my  old  ways  again,  knowing  that  if  I  want  any 
change  and  bright  society  I  can  come  down  here.  If  I  find 
I  am  restless  there,  which  is  not  likely,  I  can  buy  a  little 
place  and  settle  down  beside  you.  As  I  told  you  long  ago, 
I  am  a  rich  man — I  have  been  doing  nothing  but  save  money 
all  my  life — and  though,  as  I  then  said,  I  should  like  you  to 
carry  on  the  firm  after  I  am  gone,  there  will,  as  far  as  money 
goes,  be  no  occasion  for  you  to  do  so." 

Two  months  later  the  three  members  of  the  firm  went 
over  to  Cork,  and  there  a  gay  wedding  was  celebrated  ;  and 
when,  at  the  termination  of  the  honeymoon,  Bob  returned 
to  Chislehurst,  he  found  Captain  O'Halloran  and  Carrie 
established  there  on  a  month's  leave  ;  and  a  day  or  two 
later  the  party  was  increased  by  the  arrival  of  Doctor  Burke. 

Mr.  Bale  lived  for  twenty  years  after  Bob's  marriage,  the 
last  fifteen  of  which  were  passed  in  a  little  place  he  bought 
adjoining  that  of  the  Reptons ;  and  before  he  died  he  saw 
four  grandchildren,  as  he  called  them,  fast  growing  up. 

General  and  Mrs.  Harcourt  also  settled  down  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, to  be  near  their  only  daughter,  a  few  years  before 
Mr.  Bale's  death.  Doctor  Burke  remained  with  the  regiment 
for  some  years  and  then  bought  a  practice  in  Dublin,  but  to 
the  end  of  his  life  he  paid  a  visit  every  three  or  four  years 
to  his  former  pupil.  Captain  O'Halloran  obtained  the  rank 
of  colonel ;  but,  losing  an  arm  at  the  capture  of  Martinique, 
in  1794,  he  retired  from  the  army  and  settled  at  Woolwich 
— where  Carrie  was  within  easy  reach  of  Chislehurst — 
having  his  pension  and  a  comfortable  income  which  Mr.  Bale 


THE    FLOATING    BATTERIES.  353 

settled  upon  Carrie.  At  Mr.  Bale's  death  it  was  found  that 
he  had  left  his  house  at  Chislehurst  to  Carrie,  and  she  and 
her  husband  accordingly  established  themselves  there.  Bob 
to  the  end  of  his  life  declared  that,  although  in  all  things 
he  had  been  an  exceptionally  happy  and  fortunate  man,  the 
most  fortunate  occurrence  that  ever  happened  to  him  was 
that  he  should  have  taken  part  in  the  famous  Siege  of  Gib- 
raltar. 


THE    END. 


Typography  by  J.  S.  Cushing  &  Co.,  Boston. 
Presswork  by  Berwick  &  Smith,  Boston. 


G.  A.  HENTY'S 
POPULAR  STORIES  FOR  BOYS. 


PUBLISHED   BY 


CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS, 


743-745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


HE  stories  of  G.  A.  Henty  have  long  been  great 
favorites  in  England,  where  they  have  won 
for  the  author  the  reputation  of  being  the 
foremost  writer  of  adventure  for  boys. 
Messrs.  Charles  Scribner's  Sons  have  for  some  time  past 
been  importing  Mr.  Henty's  books  to  this  country,  where  they 
have  also  obtained  immediate  and  widespread  popularity.  They 
now  take  pleasure  in  announcing  three  entirely  new  stories, 
written  in  Mr.  Henty 's  best  vein :  "  The  Dash  for  Khartoum" 
'■'Redskin  and  Cowboy,''1  and  "  Held  Fast  for  England.'1'' 

These   are    regularly    manufactured  and  published  in   this 
country  under  protection  of  copyright. 


PRESS     NOTICES. 


"  Mr.  Henty  is  one  of  the  best  of 
story-tellers  for  young  people." — Spec- 
tator. 

"  Mr.  Henty's  books  never  fail  to 
interest  boy  readers.  Among  writers 
of  stories  of  adventure  he  stands  in  the 
very  first  rank."  —  Academy. 

"  Mr.  Henty's  books  for  boys  are 
always  admirable."  —  Birmingham 
Post. 

"  Mr.  Henty  is  the  prince  of  story- 
tellers for  boys."  —  Sheffield  Indepen- 
dent. 


"  Here  we  have  Mr.  George  Henty 
—  the  boy's  own  author." — Punch. 

"  Mr.  Henty's  books  are  welcome 
visitors  in  the  home  circle."  —  London 
Daily  News. 

"  The  brightest  of  all  the  living 
writers  whose  office  it  is  to  enchant 
the  boys." —  Christian  Leader. 

"  One  of  our  most  successful  writers 
of  historical  tales."  —  Scotsman. 

"  Mr.  Henty,  as  a  boy's  story-teller, 
stands  in  the  very  foremost  rank."  — 
Glasgow  Herald. 


G.  A.  HENTY'S  STORIES  FOR  BOYS. 


NEW    VOLUMES    FOR    1891. 
Redskin  and  Cowboy.    A  Tale  of  the  Western  Plains. 

By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  12  page  Illustrations  by  Alfred  Pearse. 
Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50.     (Copyrighted.) 

The  central  interest  of  this  story  is  found  in  the  many  adventures  of  Hugh  Tunstall,  a 
Cumberland  lad,  who  finds  it  necessary  to  flee  from  his  uncle's  house.  He  makes  his 
way  to  New  York,  and  from  thence  goes  to  the  wildest  districts  of  Texas,  where  he 
becomes  a  cowboy  on  a  cattle  ranche.  His  experiences  present  in  picturesque  form  the 
toilsome,  exciting,  adventurous  life  of  a  cowboy,  while  the  perils  of  a  frontier  settle- 
ment are  vividly  set  forth.  Subsequently,  the  hero  crosses  through  the  Indian  Territory 
into  Mexico,  where  the  interest  of  the  story  is  sustained  in  a  fight  with  brigands.  This 
story  is  packed  full  of  breezy  adventure. 

The  Dash  for  Khartoum.  A  Tale  of  the  Nile  Expedi- 
tion. By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  10  page  Illustrations  by  John  Schon- 
berg  and  J.  Nash,  and  4  Plans.  Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50.     (Copyrighted.) 

In  the  record  of  recent  British  history  there  is  no  more  captivating  page  for  boys 
than  the  story  of  the  Nile  campaign,  and  the  attempt  to  rescue  General  Gordon.  It  is 
this  memorable  campaign  which  Mr.  Henty  has  chosen  as  the  central  theme  of  his 
romance,  and  it  is  his  consummate  skill  in  the  presentation  of  the  actual  vivid  facts 
which  constitutes  its  chief  interest.  This  is  a  book  which  will  hold  the  boy  spell-bound 
who  loves  daring  deeds,  and  danger,  and  the  clash  of  deadly  fight. 

Held   Fast  for   England.      A  Tale  of   the   Siege   of 

Gibraltar.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  S  page  Illustrations  by  Gordon 
Browne.  Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  .olivine  edges,  $1.50. 
(Copyrighted.) 

This  story  deals  with  the  siege  of  Gibraltar  in  1779-S3,  by  the  united  forces  of  France 
and  Spain.  The  hero  of  the  tale,  an  English  lad  resident  in  Gibraltar,  takes  a  brave  and 
worthy  part  in  the  long  defence,  and  it  is  through  his  varied  experiences  that  we  learn 
with  what  bravery,  resourcefulness,  and  tenacity  the  Rock  was  held  for  England. 


PREVIOUS    VOLUMES. 

By  England's  Aid  :  or,  The  Freeing  of  the  Nether- 
lands (1585-1604).  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  10  page  Illustrations  by 
Alfred  Pearse,  and  4  Maps.  Crown  8vo,  beautifully  bound,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

Mr.  Henty  here  gives  us  the  story  of  two  English  lads,  who  go  to  Holland  in  the 
service  of  Sir  Francis  Vere.  After  many  adventures  by  sea  and  land,  one  of  the  lads 
finds  himself  on  board  a  Spanish  ship  at  the  time  of  the  defeat  of  the  Armada,  and 
escapes  from  Spain  only  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Corsairs.  He  is  successful,  how- 
ever, in  getting  back  to  Spain  under  the  protection  of  a  wealthy  Spanish  merchant,  and 
regains  his  native  country  after  the  capture  of  Cadiz,  which  finally  broke  the  power  of 
Spain  in  Europe. 


G.  A.  HENTY' S  STORIES  FOR  BOYS. 


With   Lee   in  Virginia.      A   Story  of  the   American 

Civil  War.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  10  full-page  Illustrations  by 
Gordon  Browne,  and  6  Maps.  Crown  8vo,  beautifully  bound,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

The  story  of  a  young  Virginian  planter,  who,  after  bravely  proving  his  sympathy 
with  the  slaves  of  brutal  masters,  serves  with  no  less  courage  and  enthusiasm  under  Lee 
and  Jackson  through  the  most  exciting  events  of  the  struggle.  He  has  many  hairbreadth 
escapes,  is  several  times  wounded  and  twice  taken  prisoner;  but  his  courage  and  readi- 
ness and,  in  two  cases,  the  devotion  of  a  black  servant  and  of  a  runaway  slave  whom  he 
had  assisted,  bring  him  safely  through  all  difficulties. 

By  Right  of  Conquest :   or,  With  Cortez  in  Mexico. 

By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  10  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  Stacey, 
and  2  Maps.     Crown  8vo,  beautifully  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  adventures  of  an  English  youth,  Roger  Hawkshaw,  the  sole  survivor  of  the  good 
ship  Swan,  which  had  sailed  from  a  Devon  port  to  challenge  the  mercantile  supremacy 
of  the  Spaniards  in  the  New  World.  He  is  beset  by  many  perils  amongst  the  natives, 
who  are  disposed  at  one  time  to  worship  and  at  another  to  sacrifice  him,  but  is  saved  by 
his  own  judgment  and  strength,  and  by  the  devotion  of  an  Aztec  princess.  After  the 
fall  of  Mexico  he  succeeds  in  regaining  his  native  shore,  with  a  fortune  and  a  charming 
Aztec  bride. 

Bonnie   Prince   Charlie.      A   Tale   of   Fontenoy   and 

Culloden.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon 
Browne.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"  Ronald,  the  hero,  is  very  like  the  hero  of '  Quentin  Durward.'  The  lad's  journey 
across  France  with  his  faithful  attendant  Malcolm,  and  his  hairbreadth  escapes  from  the 
machinations  of  his  father's  enemies,  make  up  as  good  a  narrative  of  the  kind  as  we  have 
ever  read.  Mr.  Henty  can  tell  a  capital  story,  but  here  for  freshness  of  treatment  and 
variety  of  incident  he  has  surpassed  himself." —  Spectator. 

By   Pike   and   Dyke.      A   Tale   of   the    Rise   of   the 

Dutch  Republic.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  10  full-page  Illustrations 
by  Maynard  Brown,  and  4  Maps.  Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

A  story  covering  the  period  when  the  Netherlands  revolted  against  the  attempts  of 
Alva  and  the  Spaniards  to  force  upon  them  the  Catholic  religion.  Mr.  Henty  has  added 
a  special  attractiveness  for  boys  in  tracing  through  the  historic  conflict  the  adventures 
and  brave  deeds  of  an  English  boy  in  the  household  of  the  ablest  man  of  his  age  —  Wil- 
liam the  Silent. 

Captain  Bayley's  Heir.     A  Tale  of  the  Gold  Fields 

of  California.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by 
H.  M.  Paget.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

A  frank,  manly  lad  and  his  cousin,  who  is  of  the  plausible  scheming  type,  are  rivals 
in  the  heirship  of  a  considerable  property.  The  former  falls  into  a  trap  laid  by  the  latter, 
and  while  under  a  false  accusation  of  theft  foolishly  leaves  England  for  America.  He 
goes  to  the  Californian  gold  diggings,  and  is  successful  both  as  digger  and  trader.  He 
acquires  a  small  fortune,  is  at  length  proved  innocent  of  the  charge  which  drove  him 
from  home,  and  returns  rich  in  valuable  experiences. 


4  G.  A.  HENTY' S   STORIES  FOR   BOYS. 

The  Lion  of   St.  Mark.      A  Tale   of   Venice   in   the 

Fourteenth  Century.    By  G.  A.  Henty.    With  10  full-page  Illustrations 

by  Gordon  Browne.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges, 

#1.50. 

"  Everybody  should  read  '  The  Lion  of  St.  Mark.'  Mr.  Henty  has  never  produced 
any  story  more  delightful,  more  wholesome,  or  more  vivacious.  From  first  to  last  it 
will  be  read  with  keen  enjoyment." —  Saturday  Review. 

The  Lion  of  the  North.    A  Tale  of  Gustavus  Adolphus 

and  the  Wars  of  Religion.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  12  full-page 
Illustrations  by  John  Schonbkrg.  Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"As  we  might  expect  from  Mr.  Henty  the  tale  is  a  clever  and  instructive  piece  of 
history,  and  as  boys  may  be  trusted  to  read  it  conscientiously,  they  can  hardly  fail  to  be 
profited  as  well  as  pleased." —  The  Times. 

For  the   Temple.      A  Tale  of  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem. 

By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  10  full-page  Illustrations  by  S.  J.  Solomon, 
and  a  colored  Map.  Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges, 
$1.50. 

"  Mr.  Henty 's  graphic  prose  pictures  of  the  hopeless  Jewish  resistance  to  Roman 
sway  add  another  leaf  to  his  record  of  the  famous  wars  of  the  world." —  Graphic. 

With   Clive    in    India:    or,    The    Beginnings   of    an 

Empire.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon 
Browne,  in  black  and  tint.  Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

"  He  has  taken  a  period  of  Indian  History  of  the  most  vital  importance,  and  he  has 
embroidered  on  the  historical  facts  a  story  which  of  itself  is  deeply  interesting.  Young 
people  assuredly  will  be  delighted  with  the  volume."  —  Scotsman. 

Through  the  Fray.      A  Story  of  the  Luddite  Riots. 

By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  H.  M.  Paget,  in 
black  and  tint.     Crown  Svo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  story  is  laid  in  Yorkshire  at  the  commencement  of  the  present  century,  when  the 
high  price  of  food  induced  by  the  war  and  the  introduction  of  machinery  drove  the 
working-classes  to  desperation,  and  caused  them  to  band  themselves  in  that  wide-spread 
organization  known  as  the  Luddite  Society. 

True  to  the  Old  Flag.     A  Tale  of  the  American  War 

of  Independence.     By  G.  A.  Henty.     With  12  full-page  Illustrations 

by  Gordon  Browne.     Crown  Svo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges, 

$1.50. 

"It  does  justice  to  the  pluck  and  determination  of  the  British  soldiers  during  the 
unfortunate  struggle  against  American  emancipation.  The  son  of  an  American  loyalist, 
who  remains  true  to  our  flag,  falls  among  the  hostile  redskins  in  that  very  Huron 
country  which  has  been  endeared  to  us  by  the  exploits  of  Hawk-eye  and  Chingachgook." 
—  The  Times. 


G.  A.   HENTY' S   STORIES  FOR   BOYS. 


The  Young  Carthaginian.     A  Story  of  the  Times  of 

Hannibal.     By  G.  A.  Henty.     With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J. 
Stantland,  R.I.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Boys  reading  the  history  of  the  Punic  Wars  have  seldom  a  keen  appreciation  of  the 
merits  of  the  contest.  To  let  them  know  more  about  this  momentous  struggle,  Mr. 
Henty  has  written  this  story,  which  not  only  gives  in  graphic  style  a  brilliant  description 
of  a  most  interesting  period  of  history,  but  is  a  tale  of  exciting  adventure  sure  to  interest 
the  reader. 

With  Wolfe  in  Canada :  or,  The  Winning  of-  a  Con- 
tinent. By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon 
Browne.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"  It  is  not  only  a  lesson  in  history  as  instructively  as  it  is  graphically  told,  but  also  a 
deeply  interesting  and  often  thrilling  tale  of  adventure  and  peril  by  flood  and  field."  — 
Illustrated  London  News. 

In  Freedom's  Cause.     A  Story  of  Wallace  and  Bruce. 

By  G.  A.  Henty.    With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne, 
in  black  and  tint.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"Mr.  Henty  has  broken  new  ground  as  an  historical  novelist.  His  tale  is  full  of 
stirring  action,  and  will  commend  itself  to  boys."  —  AthencEUin. 

Under  Drake's  Flag.     A  Tale  of  the  Spanish  Main. 

By  G.  A.  Henty.     With  S  full-page  Pictures  by  Gordon  Browne,  in 
black  and  tint.     Crown  Svo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

A  story  of  the  days  when  England  and  Spain  struggled  for  the  supremacy  of  the  sea. 
The  heroes  sail  as  lads  with  Drake  in  the  expedition  in  which  the  Pacific  Ocean  was  first 
seen  by  an  Englishman  from  a  tree-top  on  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  in  his  great 
voyage  of  circumnavigation. 

One  of  the   28th.     A   Tale  of  Waterloo.      By   G.  A. 

Henty.     With  8  full-page   Illustrations  by   W.   H.  Overend,  and  2 
Maps.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"  '  One  of  the  28th '  contains  one  of  the  best  descriptions  of  the  various  battles  which 
raged  round  Waterloo,  which  it  has  ever  been  our  fate  to  read."  —  Daily  Telegraph. 

The  Cat  of  Bubastes.      A  Story  of   Ancient   Egypt. 

By  G.  A.  Henty.     With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  R.  Weguelin. 
Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"The  story,  from  the  critical  moment  of  the  killing  of  the  sacred  cat  to  the  perilous 
exodus  into  Asia  with  which  it  closes,  is  very  skilfully  constructed  and  full  of  exciting 
adventures.     It  is  admirably  illustrated."  —  Saturday  Review. 

In  the  Reign  of  Terror.  The  Adventures  of  a  West- 
minster Boy.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by 
J.  SchOnbERG.     Crown  Svo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"  The  interest  of  this  story  of  the  '  Reign  of  Terror '  lies  in  the  way  in  which  the  diffi- 
culties and  perils  Harry  has  to  encounter  bring  out  the  heroic  and  steadfast  qualities  of  a 
brave  nature.  Again  and  again  tha  last  extremity  seems  to  have  been  reached,  but  his  un- 
failing courage  triumphs  over  all.      It  is  an  admirable  boy"s  book."  —  Birmingham  Post. 


6  G.  A.  HENTY' S  STORIES  FOR  BOYS. 

St.    George    for    England.      A   Tale   of    Cressy   and 

Poitiers.     By  G.  A.  Henty.     With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon 
Browne,  in  black  and  tint.     Crown-  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  #1.50. 

"  Mr.  Henty  has  developed  for  himself  a  type  of  historical  novel  for  boys  which  bids 
fair  to  supplement  on  their  behalf,  the  historical  labors  of  Sir  Walter  Scott  in  the  land 
of  fiction."  —  Standard. 

Maori  and  Settler.    A  Story  of  the  New  Zealand  War. 

By  G.  A.  Henty.     With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  Alfred  Pearse. 
Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  Renshaws  emigrate  to  New  Zealand  during  the  period  of  the  war  with  the 
natives.  During  the  eventful  voyage  out,  and  in  the  subsequent  adventures  among  the 
Maoris,  there  are  many  breathless  moments  in  which  the  odds  seem  hopelessly  against 
the  party,  but  they  succeed  in  establishing  themselves  happily  in  one  of  the  pleasantest 
of  the  New  Zealand  valleys. 

A  Final  Reckoning.  A  Tale  of  Bush  Life  in  Aus- 
tralia. By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  B. 
Wollen.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  a  young  English  lad,  after  rather  a  stormy  boyhood,  emigrates  to  Australia, 
and  gets  employment  as  an  officer  in  the  mounted  police.  A  few  years  of  active  work  on 
the  frontier,  where  he  has  many  a  brush  with  both  natives  and  bush-rangers,  gain  him 
promotion  to  a  captaincy,  and  he  eventually  settles  down  to  the  peaceful  life  of  a 
squatter. 

The  Bravest  of  the  Brave :   or,  With  Peterborough  in 

Spain.     By  G.   A.   Henty.     With  8  full-page   Illustrations  by  H.  M. 
Paget.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

There  are  few  great  leaders  whose  lives  have  so  completely  fallen  into  oblivion  as 
that  of  the  Earl  of  Peterborough.  This  is  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  it  was  over- 
shadowed by  the  glory  of  Marlborough.  His  career  as  General  extended  over  little  more 
than  a  year,  and  yet,  in  that  time,  he  showed  a  genius  for  warfare  which  has  never  been 
surpassed. 

For  Name  and  Fame  :  or,  Through  Afghan  Passes.    By 

G.  A.  Henty.     With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne. 
Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"  Here  we  have  not  only  a  rousing  story,  replete  with  all  the  varied  forms  of  excite- 
ment of  a  campaign,  but  an  instructive  history  of  a  recent  war,  and,  what  is  still  more 
useful,  an  account  of  a  territory  and  its  inhabitants  which  must  for  a  long  time  possess  a 
supreme  interest  for  Englishmen,  as  being  the  key  to  our  Indian  Empire."  —  Glasgow 
Herald. 

Orange  and  Green  :  A  Tale  of  the  Boyne  and  Limerick. 

By  G.  A.  Henty.     With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne. 
Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"  An  extremely  spirited  story,  based  on  the  struggle  in  Ireland,  rendered  memorable 
by  the  defence  of  'Derry  and  the  siege  of  Limerick."  —  Saturday  Review. 


G.  A.  HENTY' S  STORIES  FOR  BOYS.  7 

The  Dragon  and  the  Raven:  or,  The  Days  of  King 

Alfred.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J. 
Stantland,  R.I.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"  Treated  in  a  manner  most  attractive  to  the  boyish  reader."  —  Athen&um. 

Facing  Death  :    or,  The  Hero  of  the  Vaughan  Pit.     A 

Tale  of  the  Coal  Mines.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  8  full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  Gordon  Browne.  Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

"  The  tale  is  well  written  and  well  illustrated,  and  there  is  much  reality  in  the 
characters."  —  Atheiuzum. 

By  Sheer  Pluck  :    A  Tale  of  the  Ashanti  War.     By  G. 

A.  Henty.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne.  Crown 
8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  Si. 50. 

The  author  has  woven,  in  a  tale  of  thrilling  interest,  all  the  details  of  the  Ashanti 
campaign,  of  which  he  was  himself  a  witness.  His  hero,  after  many  exciting  adventures 
in  the  interior,  finds  himself  at  Coomassie  just  before  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  is  detained 
a  prisoner  by  the  king,  is  sent  down  with  the  army  which  invaded  the  British  Protecto- 
rate, escapes,  and  accompanies  the  English  expedition  on  their  march  to  Coomassie. 

A  Chapter  of  Adventures  :  or,  Through  the  Bombard- 
ment of  Alexandria.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  6  full-page  Illustrations 
by  W.  H.  Overend.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  $1.25. 

A  coast  fishing  lad,  by  an  act  of  heroism,  secures  the  interest  of  a  ship-owner,  who 
places  him  as  an  apprentice  on  board  one  of  his  ships.  In  company  with  two  of  his 
fellow-apprentices  he  is  left  behind,  at  Alexandria,  in  the  hands  of  the  revolted  Egyptian 
troops,  and  is  present  through  the  bombardment  and  the  scenes  of  riot  and  bloodshed 
which  accompanied  it.  They  ultimately  effect  their  escape,  and  in  the  subsequent  terri- 
ble voyage  their  ship  is  wrecked,  and  only  the  hero  and  a  friend  are  saved. 

Sturdy  and  Strong:  or,  How  George  Andrews  made 

His  Way.     By  G.  A.  Henty.     With  4  full-page  Illustrations.     Crown 

8vo,  handsomely  bound,  $1.00. 

"  The  history  of  a  hero  of  everyday  life,  whose  love  of  truth,  clothing  of  modesty,  and 
innate  pluck,  carry  him,  naturally,  from  poverty  to  affluence.  George  Andrews  is  an 
example  of  character  with  nothing  to  cavil  at,  and  stands  as  a  good  instance  of  chivalry 
in  domestic  life." —  The  Empire. 

Tales   of    Daring   and   Danger.      By   G.    A.    Henty. 

With  2  full-page  Illustrations.    Crown  Svo,  handsomely  bound,  75  cents. 
"  '  White-faced  Dick'  is  a  sketch  worthy  of  Bret  Harte  at  his  best.     Just  the  sort  uf 
t  ilc  to  read  aloud  by  the  fireside  on  a  winter's  night." —  Practical  Teacher. 

Yarns    on    the   Beach.      By  G.   A.   Henty.     With  2 

full-page  Illustrations.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  75  cents. 
"  This  little  book  should  find  special  favor  among  boys.     The  yarns  are  spun  by  old 
sailors,  and  are  admirably  calculated  to  foster  a  manly  spirit."  —  Eclio. 


POPULAR  BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 

INCLUDING   NEW   WORKS 

BY 

G.  MANVILLE  FENN,  S.  BARING-GOULD,  HARRY  COLLINGWOOD, 

F.  FRANKFORT    MOORE,    ROSE  MULHOLLAND,    SARAH   DOUDNEY,   ALICE 

CORKRAN,  GORDON  STABLES,  and  other  Favorite  Authors, 

IMPORTED   BY 

CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS, 

743-745   BROADWAY,   NEW   YORK. 


A    NEW    VOLUME. 


Three  Bright  Girls  :  A  Story  of  Chance  and  Mischance. 

By  Annie  E.  Armstrong.  With  6  page  Illustrations  by  W.  Parkin- 
son.    Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  $1.25. 

By  a  sudden  turn  of  fortune's  wheel  the  three  heroines  of  this  story  are  brought  down 
from  a  household  of  lavish  comfort  to  meet  the  incessant  cares  and  worries  of  those  who 
have  to  eke  out  a  very  limited  income.  And  the  charm  of  the  story  lies  in  the  practical 
helpfulness  of  spirit  developed  in  the  girls  by  their  changed  circumstances;  while  the 
author  finds  a  pleasant  ending  to  all  their  happy  makeshifts. 

Grettir  the  Outlaw  :   A  Story  of  Iceland.     By  S.  Bar- 

ING-Gould,  author  of  "John  Herring,"  "  Mehalah,"  etc.  With  10  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  M.  Zeno  Diemer,  and  a  Colored  Map.  Crown 
8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  #1.50. 

"  Is  the  boys'  book  of  its  year.  That  is,  of  course,  as  much  as  to  say  that  it  will  do 
for  men  grown  as  well  as  juniors.  It  is  told  in  simple,  straightforward  English,  as  all 
stories  should  be,  and  it  has  a  freshness,  a  freedom,  a  sense  of  sun  and  wind  and  the  open 
air  which  make  it  irresistible."  —  Scots  Observer. 

Two  Thousand  Years  Ago:   or,  The  Adventures  of  a 

Roman  Boy.  By  Prof.  A.  J.  Church.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations 
by  Adrien  Marie.      Crown  8yo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine   edges, 

$1.50. 

"Adventures  well  worth  the  telling.  The  book  is  extremely  entertaining  as  well  as 
useful:  there  is  a  wonderful  freshness  in  the  Roman  scenes  and  characters."  —  Times. 

Dick  o'   the   Fens :    A   Romance   of   the    Great   East 

Swamp.  By  G.  Manville  Fenn.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by 
Frank  Dadd.     Crown  Svo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"  We  should  say  that  in  '  Dick  o'  the  Fens  '  Mr.  Manville  Fenn  has  very  nearly 
attained  perfection.  Life  in  the  Fen  country  in  the  old  ante-drainage  days  is  admirably 
reproduced.  .  .  .  Altogether  we  have  not  of  late  come  across  a  historical  fiction  which 
deserves  to  be  so  heartily  and  unreservedly  praised  as  regards  plot,  incidents,  and  spirit." 
—  Spectator. 


POPULAR   BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG  PEOPLE.  9 

Brownsmith's   Boy.      By  George   Manville   Fenn. 

With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and  tint. 
Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"  '  Brownsmith's  Boy  must  rank  among  the  few  undeniably  good  boys'  books.  He 
will  be  a  very  dull  boy  indeed  who  lays  it  down  without  wishing  that  it  had  gone  on  for 
at  least  ioo  pages  more."  —  North  British  Mail. 

Quicksilver :   or,  A  Boy  With  No  Skid  to  His  Wheel. 

By  George    Manville   Fenn.      With    10   full-page    Illustrations    by 
Frank  Dadd.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"  Mr.  Fenn  possesses  the  true  secret  of  producing  real  and  serviceable  boys'  books. 
Every  word  he  writes  is  informed  with  full  knowledge  and,  even  more  important,  quick 
sympathy  with  all  the  phases  of  youthful  life.  In  '  Quicksilver '  he  displays  these  quali- 
ties in  a  high  degree." —  Dundee  Advertiser. 

Devon  Boys.  A  Tale  of  the  North  Shore.  By 
George  Manville  Fenn.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon 
Browne.     Crown  Svo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"An  admirable  story,  as  remarkable  for  the  individuality  of  its  young  heroes  as  for 
the  excellent  descriptions  of  coast  scenery  and  life  in  North  Devon.  It  is  one  of  the 
best  books  we  have  seen  this  season."  —  Athenceum. 

The  Golden  Magnet.    A  Tale  of  the  Land  of  the  Incas. 

By   G.    Manville   Fenn.      With    12   full-page   Pictures  by   Gordon 
Browne.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  tale  of  a  romantic  lad,  who  leaves  home  to  seek  his  fortune  in  South  America  by 
endeavoring  to  discover  some  of  that  treasure  which  legends  declare  was  ages  ago  hidden 
by  the  Peruvian  rulers  and  priests,  to  preserve  it  from  the  Spanish  invaders. 

In  the  King's  Name:  or,  The  Cruise  of  the  Kestrel. 

By  G.  Manville  Fenn.    Illustrated  by  12  full-page  Pictures  by  Gordon 
Browne.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"  In  the  King's  Name  "  is  a  spirited  story  of  the  Jacobite  times,  concerning  the  adven- 
tures of  a  young  naval  officer  in  the  preventive  service  off  the  coast  of  Sussex. 

Menhardoc.      A   Story   of   Cornish    Nets    and    Mines. 

By  G.  Manville  Fenn.     With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Stani- 
land,  R.I.     Crown  Svo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  scene  of  this  story  is  laid  among  the  granite  piles  and  tors  of  Cornwall.  Adven- 
tures are  pretty  plentiful,  but  the  story  has  for  its  strong  base  the  development  of  charac- 
ter of  the  three  boys. 

Bunyip  Land.     The  Story  of  a  Wild  Journey  in  New 

Guinea.     By  G.  Manville  Fenn.     With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by 
GORDON  Browne.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"  Mr.  Fenn  deserves  the  thanks  of  everybody  for  '  Bunyip  Land,'  and  we  venture  to 
promise  that  a  quiet  week  may  be  reckoned  on  whilst  the  youngsters  have  such  fascinat- 
ing literature  provided  for  them."  —  Spectator. 


10  POPULAR   BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE. 

Patience  Wins  :    or,  War  in  the  Works.     By  G.  Man- 

yille  Fenn.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne. 
Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"An  excellent  story,  the  interest  being  sustained  from  first  to  last.  This  is,  both  in 
its  intention  and  the  way  the  story  is  told,  one  of  the  best  books  of  its  kind  which  has 
come  before  us  this  year."  —  Saturday  Review. 

Nat    the   Naturalist.      A    Boy's    Adventures    in    the 

Eastern  Seas.  By  G.  Manville  Fenn.  Illustrated  by  8  full-page 
Pictures  by  Gordon  Browne.  Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

"  Mr.  Fenn  has  here  hit  upon  a  capital  idea.  This  is  among  the  best  of  the  boys' 
books  of  the  season." —  Times. 

"  We  can  conceive  of  no  more  attractive  present  for  a  young  naturalist."  —  Land  and 
Water. 

Mother  Carey's  Chicken.  Her  Voyage  to  the  Un- 
known Isle.  By  G.  Manville  Fenn.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations. 
Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"Jules  Verne  himself  never  constructed  a  more  marvellous  tale.  It  contains  the 
strongly  marked  features  that  are  always  conspicuous  in  Mr.  Fenn's  stories  —  a  racy 
humor,  the  manly  vigor  of  his  sentiment,  and  wholesome  moral  lessons.  For  anything 
to  match  his  realistic  touch  we  must  go  to  Daniel  Defoe." —  Christian  Leader. 

Yussuf  the  Guide.      Being  the  Strange  Story  of  the 

Travels  in  Asia  Minor  of  Burne  the  Lawyer,  Preston  the  Professor, 
and  Lawrence  the  Sick.  By  G.  Manville  Fenn.  With  8  full-page 
Illustrations  by  John  Schonberg.    Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  $1.50. 

"  This  story  is  told  with  such  real  freshness  and  vigor  that  the  reader  feels  he  is 
actually  one  of  the  party,  sharing  in  the  fun  and  facing  the  dangers  with  them."  — Pall 
Mall  Gazette. 

Under  False  Colours.      By  Sarah  Doudney.     With 

12  full-page  Illustrations  by  G.  G.  Kilburne.     Crown  Svo,  handsomely 

bound,  olivine  edges,  Si. 50. 

"  Sarah  Doudney  has  no  superior  as  a  writer  of  high-toned  stories  —  pure  in  style, 
original  in  conception,  and  with  skilfully  wrought-out  plots  ;  but  we  have  seen  nothing 
from  this  lady's  pen  equal  in  dramatic  energy  to  her  latest  work, '  Under  False  Colours.' " 
—  Christian  Leader. 

Giannetta.      A    Girl's    Story   of    Herself.       By    Rosa 

Mulholland.      WTith  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  LoCKHART  Bogle. 

Crown  Svo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  Si-5°- 

"Extremely  well  told  and  full  of  interest.  Gianetta  is  a  true  heroine  —  warm- 
hearted, self-sacrificing,  and,  as  all  good  women  nowadays  are,  largely  touched  with  the 
enthusiasm  of  humanity.  The  illustrations  are  unusually  good.  One  of  the  most  attrac- 
tive books  of  the  season." —  The  Academy. 


POPULAR  BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE.  11 

Girl  Neighbours  :  or,  The  Old  Fashion  and  the  New. 

By  Sarah  Tytlek.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  T.  Garland. 
Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"  One  of  the  most  effective  and  quietly  humorous  of  Miss  Tytler's  stories.  '  Girl 
Neighbours '  is  a  pleasant  comedy,  not  so  much  of  errors  as  of  prejudices  got  rid  of,  very 
healthy,  very  agreeable,  and  very  well  written."  —  Spectator. 

The  Log  of  the  "  Flying  Fish."     A  Story  of  Aerial 

and  Submarine  Peril  and  Adventure.  By  Harry  Collingwood. 
With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne.  Crown  8vo, 
handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"  The  '  Flying  Fish,' that  marvellous  achievement  of  science,  actually  surpasses  all 
Jules  Verne's  creations;  with  incredible  speed  she  flies  through  the  air,  skims  over  the 
surface  of  the  water,  and  darts  along  the  ocean  bed.  We  strongly  recommend  our 
school-boy  friends  to  possess  themselves  of  her  log."  —  Athencenm. 

The  Missing  Merchantman.  By  Harry  Colling- 
wood. With  8  full-page  Pictures  by  W.  H.  Overend.  Crown  Svo, 
handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"Mr.  Collingwood  is  facile  princeps  as  a  teller  of  sea  stories  for  boys,  and  the 
present  is  one  of  the  best  productions  of  his  pen."  —  Standard. 

The  Rover's  Secret :   A  Tale  of  the  Pirate  Cays  and 

Lagoons  of  Cuba.  By  Harry  Collingwood.  With  8  full-page  Illus- 
trations by  W.  C.  Sy.MONS.  Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine 
edges,  31.50. 

"  A  book  that  will  rejoice  the  hearts  of  most  lads.  We  doubt  whether,  since  the  days 
of  Captain  Marryat,  there  has  arisen  a  writer  who  combined  fertility  of  invention  in 
stirring  episodes,  with  practical  knowledge  of  seafaring  life,  in  the  degree  to  which 
Mr.  Collingwood  attains  in  this  volume."  —  Scottish  Leader. 

The  Pirate  Island  :  A  Story  of  the  South  Pacific.     By 

Harry  Collingwood.  Illustrated  by  8  full-page  Pictures  by  C.  J. 
STAN1LAND  and  J.  R.  Wells,  in  black  and  tint.  Crown  Svo,  hand- 
somely bound,  $1.50. 

"  A  capital  story  of  the  sea  ;  indeed,  in  our  opinion,  the  author  is  superior,  in  some 
respects,  as  a  marine  novelist,  to  the  better  known  Mr.  Clarke  Russell.''  —  The  Times. 

The  Congo  Rovers  :  A  Tale  of  the  Slave  Squadron.  By 
Harry  Collingwood.  With  S  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  Sciion- 
BERG,  in  black  and  tint.     Crown  Svo,  handsomely  bound,  $1.50. 

"  Mr.  Collingwood  carries  us  off  for  another  cruise  at  sea,  in  '  The  Congo  Rovers,' 
and  boys  will  need  no  pressing  to  join  the  daring  crew,  which  seeks  adventures  and 
meets  with  any  number  of  them."  —  The  Times. 


12  POPULAR  BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG  PEOPLE. 

'Twixt  School  and  College  :  A  Tale  of  Self-Reliance. 

By  Gordon  Stables,  CM.,  M.D.,  R.N.,  author  of  "The  Hermit  Hunter 
of  the  Wilds,"  etc.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  Parkinson. 
Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  #1.50. 

A  story,  the  attractiveness  of  which  lies  less  in  the  narration  of  startling  adventures 
than  in  the  incidents  of  home  life  which  fill  up  the  interval  between  the  school  life  and 
college  life  of  Fred  Hallam.  The  hero  is  presented  by  his  father  with  an  outlying  cottage 
and  garden  on  the  farm,  and  the  gift  is  turned  to  pleasant  account  as  a  place  of  residence 
for  a  whole  menagerie  of  pets  dear  to  the  heart  of  most  healthy-minded  boys. 

Hussein   the   Hostage :    or,    A    Boy's    Adventures   in 

Persia.  By  G.  Norway.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  John 
Schonberg.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  narrative  of  the  adventures  of  the  young  Prince  Hussein  and  his  faithful  follower, 
Askar,  in  their  endeavor  to  free  their  oppressed  tribe  from  the  Persian  yoke.  The  book 
has  the  same  originality  of  conception  and  treatment  which  characterized  the  author's 
previous  story,  —  "  The  Loss  of  John  Humble." 

The   Loss   of   John  Humble.      What   Led  to  It,   and 

What  came  of  It.  By  G.  Norway.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations 
by  John  Schonberg.  Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges, 
$1.50. 

"  It  is  not  every  day  that  so  fresh  and  real  and  appropriate  a  story  for  young  people 
comes  into  the  reviewer's  hands.  .  .  .  The  people  in  the  story  are  strongly  individual- 
ized ;  the  pictures  of  a  Swedish  home  are  charming,  and  the  minute  account  of  the  life 
of  the  lost  men  is  as  realistic  as  Robinson  Crusoe."  —  Boston  Literary  World. 

Highways  and  High  Seas.  Cyril  Harley's  Adven- 
tures on  Both.  By  F.  Frankfort  Moore.  With  8  full-page  Illus- 
trations by  Alfred  Pearse.  Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

"  It  is  pleasant  to  come  across  such  honest  work.  The  author  breathes  a  vein  of 
genuine  humor,  his  Captain  Chink  being  a  real  achievement  in  characterization."  — 
Scots  Observer. 

Under  Hatches :    or,   Ned  Woodthorpe's   Adventures. 

By  F.  Frankfort  Moore.  With  S  full-page  Illustrations  by  A. 
Forestier.     Crown  8yo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"  A  first-rate  sea-story,  full  of  stirring  incidents,  and,  from  a  literary  point  of  view, 
far  better  written  than  the  majority  of  boys'  books."  —  Pall  Mall  Gazette. 

The  Wigwam  and  the  War-Path.     Stories  of  the  Red 

Indians.  By  Ascott  R.  Hope.  With  8  full-page  Pictures  by  Gordon 
Browne.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"  Mr.  Hope's  '  Wigwam  and  War-path  '  is  notably  good  :  it  gives  a  very  vivid  picture 
of  life  among  the  Indians."  —  Spectator. 


POPULAR   BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE.  13 

Down    the    Snow    Stairs :     or,    From    Good-night    to 

Good-morning.  By  Alice  Corkran.  With  60  Character  Illustrations 
by  Gordon  Browne.  Square  crown  Svo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine 
edges,  $1.25. 

"  Among  all  the  volumes  which  the  year  has  brought  to  our  table,  this  one  stands  out 
facile  princeps  —  a  gem  of  the  first  water,  bearing  upon  every  one  of  its  pages  the  signet 
mark  of  genius.  .  .  .  All  is  told  with  such  simplicity  and  perfect  naturalness  that  the 
dream  appears  to  be  a  solid  reality."  —  Christian  Leader. 

Margery   Merton's   Girlhood.      By   Alice   Corkran. 

With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne.  Crown  8vo,  hand- 
somely bound,  $1.25. 

"  Another  book  for  girls  we  can  warmly  commend.  There  is  a  delightful  piquancy 
in  the  experiences  and  trials  of  a  young  English  girl  who  studies  painting  in  Paris."  — 
Saturday  Review. 

Thorndyke  Manor.     A  Tale  of  Jacobite  Times.     By 

Mary  C.  R.OWSELL.  With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  L.  Leslie 
Brooke.     Crown  Svo,  handsomely  bound,  $1.25. 

Thorndyke  Manor  is  an  old  house,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Thames,  which  is  conven- 
ient, on  account  of  its  secret  vaults  and  situation,  as  the  base  of  operations  in  a  Jacobite 
conspiracy.  In  consequence,  its  owner,  a  kindly,  quiet,  book-loving  squire,  finds  himself 
suddenly  involved  by  a  treacherous  steward  in  the  closest  meshes  of  the  plot.  All  diffi- 
culties are  ultimately  overcome,  and  his  innocence  is  triumphantly  proved. 

Cousin  Geoffrey  and  I.     By  Caroline  Austin.    With 

6  full-page   Illustrations  by  W.   Parkinson.     Crown  Svo,  handsomely 

bound,  $1.25. 

The  only  daughter  of  a  country  gentleman  finds  herself  unprovided  for  at  her  father's 
death,  and  for  some  time  lives  as  a  dependant.  Life  is  kept  from  being  entirely  unbear- 
able to  her  by  her  cousin  Geoffrey,  who  at  length  meets  with  a  serious  accident  for  which 
she  is  held  responsible.  In  despair  she  runs  away,  and  makes  a  brave  attempt  to  earn 
her  own  livelihood,  and  succeeds  in  doing  this,  until  the  startling  event  which  brings  her 
cousin  Geoffrey  and  herself  together  again. 

Laugh   and    Learn.      The    Easiest    Book    of    Nursery 

Lessons  and  Nursery  Games.     By  Jennett  Humphreys.     Charmingly 

Illustrated.     Square  Svo,  handsomely  bound,  $1.25. 

"  '  Laugh  and  Learn  '  instructs  and  amuses;  it  is  the  very  book  for  a  wet  day  in  the 
nursery,  for  besides  solid  instruction,  admirably  given,  it  contains  numberless  games  and 
contrivances,  with  useful  and  amusing  illustrations.  The  musical  drill  is  remarkably 
g  Tid."  —  Athenceum. 

Sir  Walter's  Ward.      A  Tale  of  the  Crusades.      By 

William  Everard.  With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  Walter  Paget. 
Crown  Svo,  handsomely  bound,  $1.25. 

"  With  its  gentle  elevation,  its  large-hearted  charity,  its  quiet  satire  of  folly  and  base- 
ness, the  story  is  one  to  win  the  affection  and  charm  the  fancy  not  only  of  boys  and 
maidens,  but  also  of  grown  men  and  women."  —  British  Weekly. 


14  POPULAR  BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


The  Search  for  the  Talisman.     A  Story  of  Labrador. 

By  Henry  Frith.  With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  Schonberg. 
Crown  Svo,  handsomely  bound,  #1.25. 

"  Mr.  Frith's  volume  will  be  among  those  most  read  and  highest  valued.  The  adven- 
tures will  delight  many  a  young  reader."  —  Pall  Mall  Gazette. 

Stories  of  Old  Renown.    Tales  of  Knights  and  Heroes. 

By  Ascott  R.  Hope.  With  100  Illustrations  from  designs  by  Gordon 
Browne.     Crown  Svo,  handsomely  bound,  $1.25. 

"  Mr.  Ascott  Hope's  volume  makes  a  really  fascinating  book,  worthy  of  its  telling 
title.  There  is,  we  venture  to  say,  not  a  dull  page  in  the  book,  not  a  story  which  will 
not  bear  a  second  reading."  —  Guardian. 

Reefer  and  Rifleman.     A  Tale  of  the  Two  Services. 

By  J.  Percy-Groves,  late  27th  Inniskillings.  With  6  full-page 
Illustrations  by  John  Schonberg.  Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound, 
$1.25. 

"  A  good,  old-fashioned,  amphibious  story  of  fighting  with  the  Frenchmen  in  the 
beginning  of  our  century,  with  a  fair  sprinkling  of  fun  and  frolic." —  Times. 

White    Lilac.       A    Story   of    Two    Girls.       By   Amy 

Walton,  author  of  "Susan,"  "The  Hawthornes,"  etc.  With  4  full- 
page  Illustrations.     Crown  Svo,  handsomely  bound,  $1.00. 

White  Lilac  proved  a  fortune  to  the  relatives  to  whose  charge  she  fell  —  a  veritable 
good  brownie,  who  brought  luck  wherever  she  went.  The  story  of  her  life  forms  a  most 
readable  and  admirable  rustic  idyl. 

Miss    Willowburn's    Offer.      By    Sarah    Doudney. 

With  4  full-page  Illustrations.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  $1.00. 

"Patience  Willowburn  is  one  of  Miss  Doudney's  best  creations,  and  is  the  one  per- 
sonality in  the  story  which  can  be  said  to  give  it  the  character  of  a  book  not  for  young 
ladies,  but  for  girls." —  Spectator. 

Hetty   Gray :    or,    Nobody's    Bairn.      By   Rosa  Mul- 

HOLLAND.  With  4  full-page  Illustrations.  Crown  Svo,  handsomely 
bound,  $1.00. 

"  A  charming  story  for  young  folks.  Hetty  is  a  delightful  creature  —  piquant,  tender, 
and  true,  and  her  varying  fortunes  are  perfectly  realistic." —  World. 

The  War  of  the  Axe  :  or,  Adventures  in  South  Africa. 

By  J.  Percy-Groves.  With  4  full-page  Illustrations.  Crown  Svo, 
handsomely  bound,  $1.00. 

"  The  sfory  of  their  final  escape  from  the  Caffres  is  a  marvellous  bit  of  writing.  .  .  . 
The  story  is  well  and  brilliantly  told,  and  the  illustrations  are  especially  good  and  effec- 
tive "  —  Literary  JVorld. 


POPULAR   BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE.  IS 

Jack  o'  Lanthorn.     A  Tale  of  Adventure.     By  Henry 

Frith.    With  4  full-page  Illustrations.    Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound, 
$1.00. 

"  The  narrative  is  crushed  full  of  stirring  incident,  and  is  sure  to  be  a  prime  favorite 
with  our  boys." —  Christian  Leader. 

Brothers   in  Arms.     A  Story  of   the    Crusades.     By 

F.   Bayford  Harrison.     With  4  full-page  Illustrations.     Crown  8vo, 
handsomely  bound,  $1.00. 

"  Full  of  striking  incident,  is  very  fairly  illustrated,  and  may  safely  be  chosen  as  sure 
to  prove  interesting  to  young  people  of  both  sexes."  —  Guardian. 


SCRI  BNER'S 

BEAUTIFULLY  ILLUSTRATED 

LIST  OF  BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG, 

1890-1891, 

Containing  full  descriptions  of  their  most  popular  juveniles, 
and  announcements  for  the  present  season,  now  ready. 

IT   INCLUDES    STORIES    BY 

Frances  Hodgson  Burnett,    Howard  Pylc, 
H  H.  Boyesen,  Thomas  Nelson  Page, 

Frank  R.  Stockton,  Edzoard  Fo-glestou, 

Mrs.  Bicrton  Harrison,  Jnlcs  Verne, 

Robert  Louis  Stevenson,         Mary  Mapes  Dodge, 
Rossiter  Johnson, 

And  other  popular  writers.      It  will  lie  mailed  to  any  address 
on  application. 


16  POPULAR   BOOK'S   FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE. 

A    NEW    VOLUME    JUST    PUBLISHED.       UNIFORM    WITH    THE 
HENTY    BOOKS. 

THE  PILOTS  OF  POMONA: 

A  Story  of  the  Orkney  Islands. 

By  Robert  Leighton.     With  8  page  Illustrations  by  John  Leighton, 

and  a  Map.     Crown  8vo,  handsomely  bound,  olivine  edges, 

$1.50.      (Copyrighted.) 

The  scene  of  this  story  is  laid  in  the  Orkney  Islands.  Halcro  Ericson,  the  hero,  hap- 
pens upon  many  exciting  adventures,  through  which  he  carries  himself  with  quiet  cour- 
age. The  finding  of  treasure-trove,  the  cliff-climbing  adventures,  the  fishing  expedition, 
the  escape  from  drowning,  the  lonely  Arctic  voyage,  the  experiences  with  smugglers, 
and  the  trial  for  murder  on  a  false  accusation,  all  serve  to  show  the  spirit  of  the  lad,  while 
they  carry  forward  a  breathless  narrative. 


CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S   SONS, 

743-745   BROADWAY,    NEW    YORK. 


BOOKS  OF  ADVENTURE  FOR  BOYS. 

Beautifully  Illustrated,   and  bound  in  cloth.      Price  $1   per  volume. 

Stories  of  the  Sea  in  Former  Days  :    Narratives  of 

Wreck  and  Rescue. 

"  Next  to  an  original  sea-tale  of  sustained  interest  come  well-sketched  collections  of 
maritime  peril  and  suffering  which  awaken  the  sympathies  by  the  realism  of  fact.  '  Sto- 
ries of  the  Sea'  are  a  very  good  specimen  of  the  kind." —  The  Times. 

Tales  of  Captivity  and  Exile. 

"  It  would  be  difficult  to  place  in  the  hands  of  young  people  a  book  which  combines 
interest  and  instruction  in  a  higher  degree." — Manchester  Courier. 

Famous  Discoveries  by  Sea  and  Land. 

"  Such  a  volume  may  providentially  stir  up  some  youths  by  the  divine  fire  kindled  by 
these  '  great  of  old '  to  lay  open  other  lands,  and  show  their  vast  resources."  — Perth- 
shire Advertiser. 

Stirring  Events  of  History. 

"  The  volume  will  fairly  hold  its  place  among  those  which  make  the  smaller  ways  of 
history  pleasant  and  attractive.  It  is  a  gift-book  in  which  the  interest  will  not  be 
exhausted  with  one  reading."  —  Guardian. 


